Frosted Scissors
by Ironic-Sarcasm
Summary: Frosted Scissors: the name of the pairing for Jack Frost and Sophie Bennett, usually after a time skip. This is a series of one shots surrounding Jack and Sophie as she grows up. Some are purely platonic stories, others have a little more. Several will reference the story Imaginary Friends but you do not have to read it to understand. Enjoy!
1. IF: Jack Frost Goes to School

**Title**: Jack Frost Goes to School  
**Notes**: This is sort of a deleted scene from my fanfiction Imaginary Friends. You don't have to read the story to understand what is happening. Though, there will be references.

Jack Frost had never been to school. At least, not during his Immortal life. He had seen children come and go from from the building frequently referred to as a prison of sorts. Very few particularly enjoyed going to the institution, which is why Jack loved to give the kids a break once in a while. They deserved it.

But when the snow days were over, they had to return. There was a sort of gloom about going back. Jack wondered what the big deal was. How terrible must school really be? I mean, they got to socialize, make some friends, he supposed learning might be a good thing, too.

So, he decided to surprise the Bennetts one day by following them to school.

High school. Jamie walked into the front doors with this sister, Sophie. Jamie was taller than most of the kids around him, so he wasn't hard to spot. The small blonde girl next too him would have been difficult to find, had Jamie not been standing next to her.

Jack landed amongst the throng of students. He had been subjected to the shock of having several of them pass through him, but pushed through the crowd. He wondered of the siblings would notice him. But he hoped they wouldn't.

Jamie and Sophie parted ways to get books from their lockers. Jack decided to follow Jamie first. He followed him at a distance, keeping his staff lowered as to not get Jamie's attention. He tailed the boy until he walked into a room.

Jack peered through the window. A kid opened the door and passed through Jack. He froze up. Ugh, he didn't know if he could handle this. The feeling of people passed through him was extremely uncomfortable.

He could do this. He pulled himself together, lowered his staff and pulled his hood up and walked into the classroom just as the bell rang. There were only a few open seats and Jack slipped into one near the front, setting his staff on the ground, out of Jamie's view. Jack chanced a glance back at him. Jamie was chatting with his neighbor.

The teacher had quieted the classroom. Another bell rang, a different kind of bell. A television turned on and a disinterested student appeared on the screen, reading off the announcements.

He heard a whisper. "Who's the new kid?" Jack smirked.

"What new kid?"

"That one—" Suddenly the teacher shushed Jamie. He heard the boy groan and a thump. Jack turned back and leaned down to his staff and tapped the ground. Frost shot over to the boy and froze up the legs of his desk and covered the top. Jamie yelped and pulled his frozen face from the desk, looking around.

Jack chuckled and Jamie met his eyes. Jack pulled back his hood, wearing the biggest smirk. The boy's brown eyes widened and Jack waved. Jamie leaned forward and slipped, landing on the floor, flat on his face. The class laughed and Jamie quickly scrambled back into his seat, waving it off with a grin.

"I'm good!" Jamie held up a hand. The teacher quieted the class once more and shot Jamie a glare. Clearly, Jamie had caused problems in the past that the man was not too keen on.

The announcements went off. The class sat in awkward silence for a few minutes. Jack leaned back and casually rested his bare feet on the front of the desk. He glanced back at Jamie several times and the boy looked back at him with a mixture of excitement, confusion, and giddiness. Jamie was sure if he had Sandman's power, Jamie would have sand pictures flitting faster than Jack could read above his head.

Another bell rang. Jamie quickly darted toward the front, grabbing Jack's arm to drag him off.

"Whoah, whoah, slow down!" Jack grabbed his staff and followed Jamie. Jamie pulled Jack into a restroom and checked the stalls before looking to Jack. His mouth moved, but he couldn't find words to say. "Surprise?" Jack offered.

"What are you doing here?" Jamie asked.

Jack shrugged. "I've never been to school. I'm curious."

Jamie hopped a bit on the balls of his feet and moved his hands around, trying to form words of excitement. "This is so cool!"

"Your teacher was really… a charmer." Jack laughed.

"Mr. Jorgen." Jamie rolled his eyes. "Thank God I only have him for fifteen minutes a day for homeroom. He doesn't like me. Last year, I'd mess around a lot and he tried to throw curve balls at me." Jamie snickered. "I still got an A in his class. He can't forgive me for it."

Jack laughed. "So, school isn't a prison for you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jamie threw his hands out. "This place is hell."

"Now, that's harsh." Jack snickered. Jamie rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say more and a bell rang. Jamie cursed. He was late. He ran out of the bathroom and Jack flew after him.

Jamie ran into a chemistry lab and Jack slipped in after him. The whole class looked at Jamie.

"Hey, am I late?" The teacher gave him a look. "Looking lovely as always, Mrs. Henshaw~" He slipped into his seat, giving a wink to the class giggled and Jamie looked at Jack.

The teacher started class, explaining chemicals and reactions. Jack could not force himself to get into it. He crouched on one of the tables, saw Jamie writing notes. How could he even listen to this?

Then the teacher brought out chemicals to demonstrate. Was she going to make them blow up, like he had seen in movies? Jack bounced and watched, excited. Much to his disappointment, the chemicals only simmered. Jack lept off the desk and moved over to the chemicals.

"Lame, that's not exciting." Jack looked over to Jamie and shook his head, his eyes wide. This only egged Jack on. "Oh? What could possible go wrong?" Jack tapped the beaker with his staff. Instantly, the chemicals froze.

The glass cracked.

Mrs. Henshaw gasped. "What—?" The glass cracked.

"Hit the deck!" Jack yelled ducked behind a table and Jamie brought his head down into his notes, covering his face with his arms. The beaker shattered just as the front row and the teacher ducked. Jack laughed as he stood up to look at the mess. "Oops."

Jamie looked up, horrified. The rest of the students looked up. No one was hurt. They all began to laugh, relieved. Mrs. Henshaw explained the chemicals were harmless, thank goodness. Though, she was so confused as to what happened.

"Jack Frost froze the chemicals." Jamie explained. It cause scattered laughter throughout the class.

"Jamie Bennett, that's not a scientific reason, so please don't speak out of turn." the woman scolded. "I know yesterday's snow day is still on your minds, but now we are learning."

Jamie sighed and dropped his head back into his notebook. Jack stood behind him, laughing. "What? You can't tell me that wasn't fun. This is horrendously boring." Jamie groaned. "What? Don't want me here anymore? Fine~ I'll go play with Sophie."

Jack turned to go and felt a tug on his sleeve. Jamie was shaking. Under his arm, Jack could see a tight-lipped smile and a red face. The boy was holding back laughter. Jack smiled and jumped up onto the desk with and stood in front of Jamie's lab partner. The other boy was giving Jamie this look, almost concerned.

The rest of the class was spent carefully cleaning up the glass and ice pieces and trying to figure out what happened. Jamie continued to insist that Jack Frost was responsible and frustrated Mrs. Henshaw.

After Chemistry was history. Jack walked around the front with the teacher, imitating him. He watched Jamie trying hard not to laugh. When the teacher got a fact wrong, Jack jumped back in offended horror. He explained to the class that couldn't hear him how wrong he was and what actually happened. Jamie smirked and took notes on Jack's lesson. After all, Jack was actually there. He had seen the events happen.

Jamie's music elective was much more laid back. It was open, more of a discussion than a class. The teacher was relaxed and enjoyed Jamie's quips and banter. Jack couldn't help but stare at two dark-skinned boys. They looked so familiar.

Then he realized it. Claud and Caleb. The twin brothers that had helped him so long ago fight against Pitch. They hadn't noticed Jack. Jack danced around them, laughing. "Hey, guys! It's been a while! Look at you guys. Lady-killers, I tell ya."

Jamie gave Jack a pitiable smile. Jack rubbed the back of his head, knowing the two of them couldn't see him. Of course they wouldn't believe in him any longer. Ten years had been far too long. He was amazed the Bennetts even believed, still.

Jack sighed and dragged his staff along the floor near the chairs. Their chairs and shoes froze to the floor. One last small trick for some of his first believers. Caleb was the first to notice something amiss. He tried to cross his leg but his foot pulled right out of his shoe. Claud went to make an exaggerated gesture to express how awful his brother's foot smelled but he ended up tumbling out of the chair and his own shoes. The class laughed at the twins' misfortune. They weren't sure how it happened, but that didn't stop anyone from giggling. Even the teacher had a laugh.

On the way to lunch, Jamie met up with Sophie. "Hey, Soph." Sophie's stood with her locker open, the door in front of her vision. She sighed and crouched, trying to dig something out. "Looking for your money?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah," she groaned and slammed the locker shut and pressed her head against the door, her eyes closed. "Darn it… must have been when… ugh."

"When?" Jack pressed on. She didn't seem to have noticed him yet.

"Somebody knocked me down. It must have fallen out of my pocket." she mumbled.

"I got you." Jamie put a hand on her back.

"Thanks," she smiled at him. Then her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened. She pulled herself back from the locker and stared at Jack, as if she was trying to decide if she was hallucinating or not.

"Hey, Sophie." Jack grinned. Her face burned and she bolted. Jack was left, stunned. He looked to Jamie, confused. Jamie just laughed and clapped Jack on the shoulder.

"What just happened?" Jack asked stupidly.

"She's embarrassed." Jamie snickered and walked with Jack floating above the students. He had more people pass through him today than he had in all of this three hundred years of being an Immortal. It wasn't pleasant.

"Of what?" Jack questioned.

"Heck if I know, Sophie gets embarrassed really easily. The teacher can call on her in class and she'll be too embarrassed to answer." Jamie explained.

Jamie pushed through the people to get into the cafeteria. Sophie was sitting at an empty table, her head buried in her arms. Jamie dropped his bag in the empty seat across from her and raised an eyebrow.

"Sophie, Jack's here to see what school is like. He's gonna be with you this afternoon. Are you okay with that?"

Sophie kept her head down and shook her head. Then, after a beat, nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't worry, Sophie. It'll be fun." Jack assured her. "It'll be the best day ever."

Sophie looked up at Jack, her face still red, then looked down. "Okay," she said in a small voice.

"You guys go grab lunch. I'll save your seats." Jack promised the siblings. They left their bags and got in line for lunch. Jack kept the corner table Sophie had chosen nice and cold so that when people stepped towards it, they were instantly turned away by the chill. When Jamie and Sophie returned, Jamie shivered.

"Really, Jack?"

Jack snickered and lowered the bitter cold. Sophie had a cup of hot chocolate that she sipped and offered to Jack. Jack dropped down next to her and took the warm drink in his hands, sipping it. He made a face.

"This tastes like water."

"Yeah, school hot chocolate tastes really bad," Sophie said, taking back the drink.

"Then why'd you get it?" Jack asked, trying to get the taste out of his mouth.

"'Cause I want something sweet. And our school is getting rid of all the sweets." Sophie made a face. "This is the best I could get."

"It's not even that sweet." Jack said, taking one of her french fries.

"So, you don't melt with hot things?" Jamie questioned, eating his food.

"Unfortunately, no. I also enjoy the beaches of Bermuda."

"Seriously? Heat doesn't do anything to you?" Jamie posed.

"Well, um, I get weak when I'm in it for too long." Jack admitted, ruffling his hair. "Summers can be pretty brutal."

"So, we aren't going to see you this summer?" Sophie frowned.

"What? Of course you will!" Jack was quick to wipe the frown from her face. It didn't suite her. He much preferred her to smile. "I mean, not as often as now, but we'll see each other. I promise."

Sophie smiled and covered her mouth, bouncing in her seat. Jack beamed at her and stole some more of her terrible cafeteria food. She didn't protest. She nibbled at her food and Jack and Jamie told her about their morning.

The bell rang and Jack followed Sophie to her math class. It was rather dull and Jack noticed her struggle. She wasn't very good. Jack thought of how he could entertain her and walked in front of the class and touched each piece of chalk. They froze up. Her teacher tried to use each piece, but it would leave no marks and would create a screeching sound.

Jack watched Sophie cover her ears and look up at him. She sunk into her seat and smile at him. Jack chuckled and jumped onto the teacher's desk. He tapped the board and frost started to cover it. The teacher lept back, surprised.

Sophie covered her mouth to stifle giggles. The class burst into laughter as the teacher tried to figure out what was going on. Jack laughed and lept onto the desks, walking through the students as he stepped from desk to desk and stood in front of Sophie. He crouched in front of her and beamed.

"Now you might get out of homework, right?"

Sophie looked at the teacher who was wiping the frost away. She hid the lower half of her face behind her sleeves, only showing her green eyes. They sparkled when she looked at him.

"Tch." Jack looked at a boy who was glancing at Sophie. He rolled his eyes. "It's not that funny."

Sophie quickly sobered up and hid the rest of her face in her hands. Jack frowned. "It might not be that funny, but I'll show you what is." Jack jumped to the floor and went around behind the boy. He brought his staff to the nape of his neck and sent a small amount of frost to cling to the hairs. He yelped and grabbed the back of his neck, getting to his feet and trying to unfreeze the hairs there.

"Cold! Cold! That's cold!" He whirled to the kid that sat behind him. "What did you do!?"

"Nothing!" the mousy looking girl said, shrinking.

Sophie opened her mouth to say something, then closed it instantly. Jack snorted and bopped her on the nose. Her eyes sparkled and she sunk herself into her seat even lower.

"Looks like Jack Frost is here to have some fun, huh?" she said quietly.

The teacher was distracted, making an attempt to calm the students down. And then the bell rang.

"Jack Frost?" The boy gave her a look. "Are you serious right now? You still believe in that stuff? How old are you, like, six? I bet you believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa, too." He gathered his stuff and walked towards the door. Jack formed a ball of ice and pulled his arm back. There was a tug at his sleeve.

"Jack, don't. It's not worth it." she said softly, her head down. She picked up her bag and ran towards the door. Jack followed. He couldn't find her in the throng of students. She was so small. But then he caught her going into the stairwell and Jack flew after her.

"Wait, Sophie, slow down!"

The girl looked around and quickly slipped into a utility closet. Jack managed to squeeze in before the door closed. The girl was pacing and pulling at her hair, muttering. Jack landed in front of her and took her face.

"Sophie, don't listen to him, okay?" Jack pushed hair out of her face. The small amount of light that reached through the door reflected in her shining eyes. "Hey, hey, it's okay, Sophie. It's okay. Because you're special. He's not. You and Jamie, you guys have something that everyone else lost. You still have your sense of wonder. You still have your hope. You still hang on to those precious memories and childhood dreams. Everything the Guardians protect in children_you_ still have."

Sophie rubbed her eye. "I was trying to make a joke, like Jamie does, but, I guess I can't get away with it, huh?"

"It was a good joke, Soph." Jack insisted, putting a hand on her head. "He was just… Is he always like this?"

Sophie was quiet for a while. The bell rang, but she didn't move. "I'm invisible here." she said finally. "I'm either invisible or mocked. Because I'm weird."

Jack's voice softened and he bent to her level. "And this happens every day?"

"N-Not every day," she looked down, twisting her fingers. "Most days, if I'm real quiet, nobody will talk to me."

Jack stood upright and put his hand on his hip, the other gripping his staff. "That's it, then. I'll just have to go to school with you every day." he nodded.

"N-No!" Sophie shook her head. "I-It's okay, Jack! You've got your Guardian stuff to do and-and school is really boring but it's okay. We can just hang out when we can. After school is fine. It is."

The Guardian bit his lip. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, Jack… it's okay." she smiled and kept her head low. "It gives me something to look forward to."

Jack sighed a bit and smiled. "We're not so different, Soph." Jack went on to explained how she was just like him. Her school life was his for three hundred years. He was alone and isolated and those that did see him never took him seriously. Because of some accidents, he had gotten on the bad side of a few of the Immortals, so they labeled him a trouble maker, not worth their time. And that was what he became.

"Jack," she frowned, her lip trembling.

"Hey, hey, it's alright! See? Things got better! I'm a Guardian now. I've got friends. People can see me. And you know what? It's going to get better for your, too." Jack assured her. "Only, I'm going to make sure it doesn't take three hundred years to do so. Alright?"

Sophie nodded. She rushed forward and hugged him, burying her face into his chest. Jack rubbed her back and he felt her shiver. He was always a rather cold being.

"Sophie, I think you're late for class." Jack said after a few minutes of silence.

"I dun wanna go." Her voice was muffled in his sweatshirt.

"Come on, we're gonna have fun." Jack grinned and held her at arms length. She pouted, but Jack pushed her towards the door. "You don't seem that upset, really."

"'M not." she grumbled and headed out the door. "It's not what he said. It's who heard it."

"Oh?" Jack floated in front of her as she walked. "Embarrassed? Why? Someone you wanna impress."

"Not impress, per se…" she muttered, averting his gaze, color tinting her face. "Just… you know… I don't want him to see me in that light."

Jack tilted his head. "Well, you know, it makes him look bad. Not you. He looks like a jerk." Jack caught Sophie wide smile before she hid it behind her hands. A habit she seemed to have formed when something made her really happy.

Jack followed her class. She didn't even try and sneak in, she just walked right in, Jack slipping in after her. She sat in her seat without incident. Nobody noticed her. Not one person. Jack whistled, impressed. Sophie only shrugged and pulled out her books. Jack was actually interested in this class. Creative writing. The teacher was a kindly woman who did make the class interesting. Though, Jack found a way to make it fun. He crouched on his staff next to Sophie, adding to the story prompts given in a silly way.

"A boy and a girl go into a haunted house. What do they find?" was one of the prompts. Jack looked to Sophie and added. "A boy and a girl go into a haunted house full of Easter Eggs. What else do they find?"

Sophie giggled and followed Jack's prompt. He helped her by adding silly things for her to write. But something made Jack curious.

"So, why are you taking creative writing? Isn't that Jamie's thing? What about art?"

Sophie scribbled a response in her notebook and showed it to Jack. It explained how the art electives were only available junior and senior years. But she was curious what got Jamie into writing, so she took a creative writing course.

At the end of class, Sophie walked up to the teacher and shuffled her feet.

"Oh! Sophie, you are here!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't hear you when I called role."

"I figured." Sophie said quietly.

"This is the third time this week." she chuckled. "You should speak up more, hon."

"I know." Sophie rubbed her arm. "I just thought I should let you know I'm here." Sophie nodded and left the classroom. Sophie's last class was science. It wasn't chemistry so Jack wasn't going to have fun with the chemicals again.

But Jack found other ways to entertain Sophie by making some displayed projects go off or freezing the windows and drawing on them. Several of the kids were watching, quite confused with jaws dropped. Sophie stifled giggles and didn't even try and hide her distraction. She kept her eyes on Jack and Jack aimed to please.

School ended. Jack and Sophie met up with Jamie by Jamie's locker. Jack sat on top of the lockers and watched the two chat about being hungry and maybe picking up food on the way home.

The contrast between Jamie and Sophie's school life was like day and night. Jamie seemed to make the best of his time here, enjoying what he could of it. He had a lot of friends and he joked around, even with the teachers that didn't appreciate it. He did well in everything he did. Sophie… she didn't have anyone. People shunned her. She was quiet. She struggled with her classes.

The Bennetts decided on a place to eat and looked up at Jack and smiled.

"Today was fun." Jack grinned. "I don't understand why you guys call it a prison."


	2. IF: I Miss You

**Title**: I Miss You  
**Notes**: This is a scene that is mentioned that happened in my fanfiction Imaginary Friends. You don't have to read it to understand what is happening. Also, a story from Sophie's Point of View!

* * *

Sophie Bennett sat at her desk with a patch of leather, an exacto knife, and a ruler. She held the charm of a crystalline necklace to the leather to compare and measure. This was her third attempt at getting the right shape and size for the leather. This was more difficult since she had to punch holes in just the right places.

Sophie has had this necklace for a little over three years now. She never wore it often and when she attempted to last month, she remembered why. The charm was freaking cold. The glass it was made of felt like ice, no matter how long she wore it. It never took her body heat.

She couldn't say it was glass. And she knew why it was so cold. But she didn't want to admit it, nor did she want to remember. She couldn't allow herself. Those nagging feelings in the back of her mind had come to the forefront recently and it made so much sense. She couldn't let herself get hurt.

No, this charm that hung from a silver chain was _not_ made of glass at all. It was made of ice. Ice that held special properties that prevented it from ever breaking or melting. And there was something else with it. A certain magic that helped her get through her times of loneliness. Looking into the small rectangle, she could see something that made her happy.

But she told herself it was just glass and the shapes she saw was just reflected colors. She couldn't allow herself to believe again. If she did, she wouldn't ever be happy. She couldn't let herself hang on to sweet dreams or imaginary friends or guardians anymore.

She had to let go of the one that gave her this necklace.

She knew who it was. She knew he spent a long time perfecting the sculpt of it. She knew he had been taught by the best toymaker in the world and that toymaker used ice as his prototypes. She knew the magic that was put into this small token of friendship, this small gift to show how much he cared and how much he just wanted to see her smile.

But Jack Frost wasn't real.

She finally finished it. A rectangular shaped piece of leather slightly larger than the charm. It had two "wings" that had holes punched through them. She creased the leather so it would bend easily and looped it around the ice charm.

There. Now she could finally wear it.

Sophie tried wearing it for about a month. The cold actually froze the charm to her skin on more than one occasion. It hurt. She was nervous she might actually get frostbite again. She was fine with small brushes against it, but having it constantly rest against her chest was not pleasant. So, she needed a solution.

A backing to protect her skin was what she came up with. She slipped the necklace back on and nodded, satisfied. She couldn't feel the cold of the necklace on her collar any longer. Just the smooth leather.

Sophie sat back in her chair and played with the charm, frowning a bit. Why did she even bother? She wanted to forget him. She wanted to forget the boy that gave her this wonderful gift. But she insisted on making it wearable and stubbornly wore it for a month.

Maybe there was just a little piece of her that refused to let go.

The girl yawned. The project took a lot longer than expected. She didn't like how the first one turned out—it was lopsided. The second one, she screwed up on, and the third and fourth were too small or too big. Fifth time's the charm, she supposed.

The girl ran a hand through her long hair. It was time for bed. Sophie got dressed and turned off her lights. She'd clean up her project in the morning. Sophie curled up under her blankets and closed her eyes, hoping the Sandman would bring her pleasant dreams.

Unfortunately, she found it hard to get to sleep that night. She tossed and turned and checked the clock more times than she could count. 12:00 AM — 12:45 AM — 1:22 AM — 2:45 AM. Sandman was not having her sleep tonight.

Then, she heard the wind. It blew hard outside of her window. A familiar sound. The window was silently opened and a light gust blew through the room. Sophie closed her eyes tight and the wind died and there were footsteps.

_He's here!_ Her heart lept and she feigned sleep as the footsteps came to a stop by her bed. There was a tap of wood on wood. A voice called her name softly, perhaps checking if she was asleep.

"Looks like Sandy isn't bringing you dreams tonight, huh?" Floorboards creaking suggested movement. The hand that touched her hair lightly told Sophie he had crouched to her level beside the bed. The hand quickly withdrew and the voice sighed. "I'm sorry…. I gotta stop doing this."

The girl was neither scared nor surprise. In fact, her heart ached and where he had made contact tingled, itching for more. She exhaled slowly and curled in on herself. He had to go away. Why was he here? Why could she hear him? Why could she feel his familiar cold touch? She wasn't supposed to believe in him any longer.

Sophie brought a hand to the necklace and clung to it under the blankets. It was probably the cause. She thought about him too much and now… he was here. And she could hear him. Sophie resisted the strong urge to roll over and look at him. Her heart throbbed with the pain of missing him.

"I went to Antarctica today." the voice said. "Remember how I told you about that thing Pitch and I created? How you thought it sounded like 'art?'" He snorted. "I know I promised to take you to see it someday." There was a long pause. She could feel something around him. Something that brought him pain. "I don't know if I can do it, Soph. Even if you did believe in me. I saw it, before this happened. Before I left. And it meant nothing. But… I just… Pitch… he just." She could feel her sheets tugging. She assumed he clenched then into his fists. "I wish I could tell you, Sophie. I wish I could tell you why I left for so long. I wish you could hear me."

Sophie felt heat stinging her eyes. She could hear the hurt in his voice and she longed to comfort him. But she couldn't. If she gave in, everything would be ruined. Yes, she would be happy, if only for a little while. If she gave in, her future would shatter.

See, Sophie Bennett was in love with this boy. Someone who wasn't even real. And if she believed he was, she didn't think she could ever let herself love anyone. Even if he didn't share the feelings, it was just the time she spent with him that made them grow and grow. She couldn't let it grow anymore. She had to stop and let him go.

"I miss you… so much, Soph. It hurts." Sophie felt weight on the bed. Not a lot, but enough to be noticed. She couldn't resist any longer. The ache she heard… she didn't want him to feel it anymore. Sophie rolled over, though kept her eyes closed. A motion a sleep. An unconscious movement brought her hand to meet his.

She opened her eyes a fraction, just enough to peer through her lashed. The boy with white hair and blue eyes looked down at where their hands met with a smile. He clutched her hand and kissed her knuckle.

His hand was so cold. But this was the cold she loved. The cold she craved. The cold of a boy that had been in the snow for too long. Something that you knew, if you held on long enough, it would warm them.

Another hand brushed her long hair out of her face. She quickly shut her lids to hide any hint she had seen him.

"I miss your smile." he whispered. "There's this certain smile. One that is so wide and beautiful. Your eyes… they just… sparkle. I haven't seen it in so long, Sophie. I wish I could see it. Maybe I will someday. Sophie, I really hope that day is soon. You deserve it so much."

Sophie brought the comforter closer to her to cover her mouth and nose. She could feel her lip quivering. She was going to break. He sounded so sad and so broken and this was all because she didn't believe in him.

The boy pushed her hair back and pressed his lips onto her forehead. "Good night, Sophie."

There was a gust of wind. Sophie opened her eyes and the boy was gone.

"Wait!" she cried and pulled the window open, scanning the skies. There was no sign of him. "Jack Frost… come back… please."


	3. Revert

**Title**: Revert  
**Synopsis**: Belief in Jack Frost was just a phase. He wouldn't mind that, but his biggest believers were growing up and he finds he wouldn't be able to live without them. So, what does Jack Frost do? Make the biggest decision of his life: Give up his Guardianship.  
**Notes**: Oh, god, this could have gone on for so much longer. I should have just made it a chapter story. But nooooo, I made it into a oneshot. Well, have a oneshot! But it's really long.

* * *

Jack Frost had thought about this long and hard. He spent the last year considering and weighing his options. Whichever he chose, he knew he could never go back. But, he had finally made a decision. He knew he wasn't going to regret it.

He decided to give up his Immortality and power.

This past year was spent going back and forth between options. He had chose one than the other. Keep his immortality and power over winter or give it all up. Of course, in the past, he had craved it. The loneliness was biting and bitter. But things had changed after becoming a Guardian. He had respect. He was believed in.

Though, the latter was dwindling.

It started with five kids. It spread through Burgess and dotted other places on the East Coast. But then it faded. It was as if belief in Jack Frost was just a passing phase, popular for a little while, but after fifteen years, the belief was slowing. Jack could count on his hands how many kids believed in him.

The other Guardians assured him it would pick up again. As long as there were kids that believed, it could spread once more. But it's hard to keep belief in such an unpredictable way.

But this wasn't the main reason for giving up his Guardianship. It was only part of the reason for his decision. What really was the reason he even considered it was two siblings that lived just a hop, skip, and a jump away from his home. The home he had lost his mortality in the first place.

Jamie and Sophie Bennett. Jack Frost had somehow gotten himself wrapped up in them. He had met them six years ago once more during a wonderful winter in Burgess. At the end of the day, he found it hard to leave them. Jack returned everyday to play with that winter, and, well, just continued showing up every day. Now, at twenty-four and nineteen, Jamie and Sophie were still his firmest believers. He had grown close to them. They had become the family he never had.

Yes, the Guardians were close, too. But they were always busy. They had Guardian duties to attend to on top of what they normally did.

And, if Jack was honest, being a Guardian wasn't what he expected. They had not been summoned together once since the Pitch incident. Yes, Jack did have to deal with him once more two years ago. His disappearance throughout the winter had dropped his already rapidly descending believer count to just a handful. Jack did his best, he really did. He tried to make them believe again with the Guardian's help, but they did what they could.

He was a disappointment. He knew it. He had failed the Man in the Moon as a Guardian. He had failed the Guardians as a teammate. He had failed the children he was supposed to protect. Because of Pitch's return, so many children have been subjected to dark thoughts and horrifying nightmares.

Nobody wanted to admit he failed them, especially the Guardians. Not even Bunnymund said anything, much to Jack's surprise. No bragging about how right he was. Just a sad, pitiable look when they took a look at the believe count for Jack Frost. Jack knew they were disappointed, though.

Jack had brought the subject up to Jamie and Sophie. Jamie was gun-ho about it. Egging him on. Jamie was the one that brought up the subject in the first place. Of course, at the time he was joking.

Sophie, though; she took his hand and looked into his eyes. She begged him to stop and think about it. And she told him not even to consider it if it was just because of the siblings. If it was because of her.

Jack and Sophie had… something special. It was different than Jamie and Jack's relationship. They had connected and bonded over the years in a way that Jack couldn't explain. It was a deep and powerful bond that left Jack itching to return to her after he left.

What started it was when he discovered how alone she constantly felt. With Jamie as her only friend because of her eccentricity, she was invisible to most. Jack knew exactly how she felt. And from there, it snowballed.

Jamie was the one that had to tell Jack what those feelings really were.

Love.

Jack had fallen in love with a mortal. These feelings were foreign and confusing and wonderful all at once. All he knew was that he couldn't be without her. He had already experienced time without Sophie. He could hardly bare it.

She had no idea the life he had chosen.

Jack stood on ice in the center of a pond on a warm spring night. He looked up at the full moon, finding it difficult to breathe. He was nervous and scared. He was going to give up so much. And he had to convince the Man in the Moon to let him go.

"You… you gave me… a purpose." He started, looking up and clutching his staff. "You gave me this second chance. You've observed me. You've seen everything. How I failed. I'm… I'm so sorry." Jack took a moment to compose himself. "I know… I'm supposed to protect children. But look!" Jack threw his arms open. "Look what happened! Look what happened because Pitch came after _me_! So many children have been hurt… scared… lost… given up hope. And there's no way to fix that. Tooth tried. Sandy tried. I tried. None of us could repair the damage. It's been two years… and it's still not the same."

Jack looked up, waiting for a response he knew would never come. He took a deep breath. "I… I've failed everyone. But, there are two people that still believe in me. And I wouldn't give that up for the world. I can't lose them, I just… I can't. They mean everything to me. And I… I know it's just two people. They aren't even kids anymore. But they still believe. But… I would do anything for them."

The moon remained silent.

"I know… I know I've asked you before. For mortality. But never… never have I wanted it more than I do now. Before, I was scared. I didn't want to lose hope. I didn't want to lose my power. There was something I didn't want to lose. But now… if I stay the way I am… I'll lose everything in a matter of time. I can't… I can't lose them." Jack felt hot tears form, blurring his vision. "I don't want to lose them. So, I'm begging you. Please… just take this from me. Please."

Jack watched the moon for what felt like years. He stared up, pleading and wishing as hard as he could. He had no reserves this time. He wasn't scared. All he was scared of was losing them.

The moon's light shone upon him. He took a breath against all hope. The moon… he was finally listening.

The ice beneath his feet… it suddenly felt cold. Too cold. He looked down to see color forming in his feet and hands. The frost that clung to his staff where he touched had faded. Jack was gasping, giddy and scared and excited. He grinned up at the moon just as he bid him a fond farewell. Then he slipped.

The ice was thin and Jack's sudden heavy weight forced it to crack and he dropped into the water. Gasping out, Jack flailed and inhaled water. For a slight moment, he forgot how to swim. But the boy swam to the surface and coughed. As he treaded the water, his staff floating beside him, he looked up at the moon.

"Thank you," he swallowed. "Thank you, thank you…"

Jack swam to the shore and laid there, grinning up at the moon like a fool. He clutched his staff out of habit. The staff was everything. His source of power, how he channeled his power, how he commanded the wind. He needed it no longer.

Jack spent the night giving thanks and saying goodbye to the moon until, for the first time in a long time, he closed his eyes and fell asleep and dreamed. Jack dreamed of his life has Jack Frost. All of the good memories he recalled from the past three-hundred-plus years.

When Jack awoke in the morning, he felt a smile on his face. The sun was high in the sky. He heard cars passing the road close by. He turned over and pushed himself up, looking towards the house he was so familiar with.

Jack climbed to his feet and stumbled. He felt so heavy and clumsy. But it was wonderful. He laughed and picked up his staff, looking up the incline once more. He bounced on the balls of his feet, excited to see how the siblings would react.

He trekked up to the road and ran towards the loose plank in the fence. A car slammed to a halt and he stumbled back. "Whoah!" He tapped on the hood. "Sorry!" He made a note about being more careful before shoving aside the piece of wood and squeezing through.

"Jamie! Make sure the dog doesn't get out!" A voice called from the front yard. Jack tried to step lightly as he rounded the corner and saw Sophie crouching by the crawlspace, running a hand through her hair.

"What's up, Soph?" Jack asked.

She wasn't surprised any longer. Jack found it hard to catch her off guard after the first hundred or so times of sneaking up on her. Well, he would surprise her this time. The girl sighed and looked around inside the crawlspace. "There's a stray cat that decided to make a living under… our…" she looked up at him and fell silent. He beamed at her and she stared, her expression unreadable. The girl, very slowly, stood upright and stepped closer to him.

"Jack?" she whispered.

"Is there something on my face?" he scratched at an invisible spot, knowing very well why she was so stunned.

"Jack… you're… you…." Her eyes shone and she reached up to touch his face and hair. "You've got brown hair." she choked.

"Yeah," Jack put a hand on hers.

"You're warm."

"Yeah."

"You're eyes…"

Jack shrugged and nodded. "Yeah."

"You… you gave it up? All of it?"

"Yes," Jack whispered as he wiped her tears. "Everything. It's all because of you and Jamie." Jack rolled his eyes. "You guys are like glue. Once you get stuck, it's impossible to leave you."

"Jack, I told you—"

"I'm joking." Jack said, pressing his forehead to hers. "It's only partially the reason. I'm just not cut out for immortality. All I do is make a mess. It's alright, though, Soph. I'm okay. I want this."

Her lip quivered and she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down. He laughed and stumbled forward. "Whoah! Careful, I'm still getting used to having weight."

"Jack, you're so stupid!" she cried. "How could you give that all up?"

"Because… you and Jamie are all I need." Jack said, putting a hand on her back.

"But—what about—the children—"

"I can still have fun, you know. Just because I'm human doesn't mean anything." He hugged her tightly. "Sophie, please don't cry. Please."

Sophie pulled herself away and looked up a him, wiping her eye. "I'm not crying 'cause I'm sad, dummy." Jack could only give her the biggest smile before she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. "Come on! We gotta show Jamie!" Jack laughed and followed her. His movement was awkward and he had no idea how to use his body.

And has he passed the mirror by the front entrance, he stopped to look at his reflection. Sophie allowed him to stop and watched his reaction. He was pale, though flushed with color. His eyes were a vibrant brown color and his dark hair contrasted against his skin. The frost had melted from his sweatshirt, leaving nothing behind by faded marks to show a memory. He refused to release the staff. It was his only clutch. The only reminder of his life.

Jack ran a hand through his dark brown hair and stepped closer to the mirror. This was his proof. That he wasn't just imagining and hoping the moon took his gift back. But here he was. Human. Alive.

When he had enough he looked to Sophie and tugged her hand. "Let's go see Jamie."

She nodded and wiped the remaining tears from her face. She called for her brother and pulled Jack into the living room where Jamie was watching TV.

"Hey, Sophie, did you get the cat out from under the—" Jamie looked up to his sister and froze. The boy blinked once. Twice. "Jack?"

"Hey," Jack grinned.

Jamie got to his feet and walked over to Jack, pulling his hair. Jack winced. "Ouch! Hey! What was that for?!"

"It's not a wig."

"No!"

Jamie looked down at the boy. He studied him intensely and it made Jack squirm a bit uncomfortably. Then, Jamie pulled him into a hug. Jack embraced the man in return. "Jack Frost. You have made the biggest sacrifice anyone has ever made. You gave up everything. Everything. Why?"

Jack smiled, and closed his eyes. "Because I can't live without you two. I love you guys too much." Jack heard a whimper and looked to Sophie. He pulled from Jamie enough to invite her into the embrace. She quickly moved in and buried her face into Jack's chest. Jack touched his forehead to hers and nuzzled to her until she met his eyes. "It's okay, Sophie. No more tears."

"Speak for yourself." she sniffed and wiped the tears Jack did not realize he was shedding.

"Both of you shut up and stop crying." Jamie said, smiling through his own tears.

"Hey, guys, what do you want for—" The three of them lept and looked to the woman that interrupted them. Jamie and Sophie's mother watched them, slowly realizing this was not something she should have walked in on. "Oh… I'm sorry… I'll just…" She looked right at Jack for the first time. It was an amazing feeling. Sophie took Jack's hand and wiped her face.

"It's okay, Mom. Oh, this is Jack." Sophie put her hand on his chest. "We've told you about him."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Bennett." Jack held out a hand for her that she took. "Not exactly the meeting I had in mind."

"After six years of hearing about the mysterious Jack, I'm just glad I actually get to meet you. I was starting to think my children were making you up." she smiled.

The three of them looked at each other and laughed. Their mother looked at them all, confused. Jack couldn't help but think if it wasn't for Jamie's mother, he wouldn't be here at all. She had said one small passing phrase that planted the idea of Jack Frost into Jamie's head. And because of that, Jamie was able to see him.

"Sorry, sorry, it's nothing." Jamie assure her. "Jack's staying over."

"Oh?" Mrs. Bennett gave a look of pleasant surprise.

"Actually, he's staying the summer."

The look changed to less than pleasant, and more of polite shock. Jack looked to Jamie. "I am?"

"Well, where else are you going to stay?" Jamie shook his head. "Don't worry, Jack's good company. It's going to be a fun summer, I promise, Mom."

"I wish you would have told me earlier, Jamie." She sighed and turned, rubbing her temple.

"Yeah, it was a surprise for us, too." Jamie chuckled. They watched Mrs. Bennett leave, muttering about Jamie's constant surprises.

Jack looked up to him with furrowed brows. "Are you sure about this?"

Jamie nodded. "I've never been more sure."

That day was quite interesting. Jack, Jamie, and Sophie came up with a whole new history for Jack. They decided to keep the name Jack Frost. They would have to look into his records when they had more time and resources—if he had any that is. Jack had died in 1712. They weren't sure how many records they would be able to dig up.

The siblings at first, told Mrs. Bennett the truth. She laughed, obviously not believing it. So, they decided the lie was more believable. They told Mrs. Bennett Jack travelled a lot. He was home schooled his whole life and never stayed in one place for more than a week. He had been all over the world, but he decided he wanted to settle in one place for a while and Jamie invited him to stay for the summer.

"So, you're a nomad, pretty much." The woman was actually quite interested in this story. "What's that like?"

They were at the dinner table. Jack's stomach had a strange ache he didn't understand. It was the first time he's ever eaten a meal. It was delicious. He realized the ache was hunger and wolfed down the food.

Jack shrugged. "It's a lonely existence." he explained, looking at his dinner plate. "You go from place to place. Never saying long. Never making lasting relationships. Most of the time you're alone and ignored. And nobody accepts you. I'm lucky to have made the friendships I did make."

"That sounds so sad…" Mrs. Bennett said quietly.

"But, I think it's going to get better." Jack nodded. "Thanks to Jamie and Sophie." Sophie reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. He returned the pressure and a smile.

That night, the three of them camped out in the living room. Jack was forced to borrow some of Jamie's clothes that were actually too big for him. Not because Jamie was a big person, he was just built taller and Jack was small and lean. It was strange, not wearing his blue hoodie or the brown pants he had never taken off.

Jamie was the first to pass out on the couch. Jack and Sophie stayed up, talking in whispers and huddled on the air mattress. They held hands and Jack met her eyes. He pushed her hair away with his free hand and she gave him a gentle smile.

"You know," she reached up and ran a hand through his brown hair, "I think I like this better."

"Oh, good, I was afraid my human appearance would freak you out."

"Thank you, Jack." She met his eyes with the most sincerest look she had ever given.

"No," Jack shook his head. "Thank you. You… you gave me a purpose. Sophie, I don't ever want to give you up. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Please, if you'll have me… I know it's selfish. But I don't want to be alone. I finally… I finally have a family."

Sophie's grip on his hand tightened and she smiled brightly. "Jack Frost. You will never have to be alone. I promise you."

Jack looked at her, biting his lip slightly. He moved closer and pressed his lips gently against hers. It was his first mortal kiss. The shared warmth made it so much more amazing and sweet. Her lips were soft and tasted of mint.

Pulling back, this was the first time the breath he released was not visible. The heat he felt was actual warmth and not built up cold. He watched Sophie smirk and she touched his face.

"I almost miss the cold lips and blue cheeks."

"Gonna leave me now?" Jack pouted. She pulled him closer for another kiss that he smiled into.

"Naw, I like this better." she mumble into his lips.

That summer was spent helping Jack obtain legal documents and an identity. They also decided to take a look into Jack's history. His human last name was Overland, but that family name had died with him. But, they found his sister's records. He smiled as looked down the long line of descendants and was pleased to find the family was still in Burgess. He had actually played with some of the children during the last winter.

When summer was out, Jack moved into an apartment with Jamie and Sophie. They went to different colleges but they were close to each other. Jack couldn't attend, nor did he want to. Instead, he found a job that really wasn't a job. He worked at a daycare center. It wasn't glamorous, nor did it pay much, but Jack got to do what he loved most: Have fun with children. The best part? Every single one of them could see him.

Jack did have some trouble assimilating into normal human life. It took ages to learn how to work his body. He never needed to sleep or eat or shower or bathe or use the bathroom, being a spirit. Those rituals were strange, but he went through them. He had to actually wear _shoes_ which was the absolute worst part. He decided he liked to wear flip flops, no matter the season.

In two years, Jamie had graduated and wrote children's novels. Sophie was in her last semester of an art school and was going to become an art teacher for elementary schools. Jack continued to work at the daycare, though every day he'd look into his reflection and notice something changed. For three hundred years, he had stayed the same. But he was aging. Now, he looked twenty, as the age on his birth certificate said.

Jack no longer felt like a child. He had been one for three hundred years and now he finally felt as if he was growing up. He wasn't quite an adult yet, but he was getting there.

Jack never got rid of his clothes nor his staff. He didn't wear them anymore, but he kept them in a drawer. Sometimes, Jamie and Sophie would catch him sitting on the floor or on his bed, looking at them with a sort of longing. And Jack had a hard time of kicking the habit of carrying his staff around. It was like his security blanket, as Sophie put it.

After a few years, Jack found himself falling into a depression during winter. The seasons continued as normal, never missing a beat. Jack would sit on the apartment roof with his staff, watch the snow fall and talk to the moon. He never took any coat or blanket with him. Sophie or Jamie would have to bring him something to keep him warm. They had to coax him inside and defrost him with a warm bath and tea.

He would be lying if he said he didn't miss his old life. He missed seeing the children of the world, playing pranks, and bringing winter. He missed visits to Bunnymund, Toothiana, and North. He missed being able to fly up to the orchestrator of dreams, Sandman, and suggest amazing dreams to spread through the world.

Winter was when he missed them the most. Sometimes, it would hurt. He'd dream watch and spy for Baby Teeth whenever he could.

The only thing that soothed his pain was Sophie. Her warm embraces, her calming assurances that he would see them again, her soft lullaby. In his worst bouts, Sophie would be there to assuage him. Jack would fall asleep in her arms.

Jamie had married his long time girlfriend, Laura. Jack was the best man. Sophie was the Maid of Honor. Jack knew she was the one for Jamie. When Jack was introduced, she had no reserves, no questions, and absolutely believed in him. That's right, when Jack met her, he was still a Guardian. So she would believe every word of the stories he told her about the Guardians without batting an eyelash. She was so sweet and kind and intelligent and wonderful and very adventurous. They got along perfectly.

She was perfect for him.

Later, they would go on to have two boys and a girl. Kail, Michael, and Lizzie.

The four of them shared that small apartment for a year before Jack and Sophie got their own. Sophie was twenty-five, Jack was twenty-four. Sophie worked at an elementary school near Jack's day care. There was no proposal, it was just decided they would be married. They didn't have a fancy wedding like Jamie had. It was small. Only Jamie, Laura, and their parents were there. Since Jack didn't have any family, that was how they wanted it. They didn't make a big deal out of it, either. They casually invited their family to their wedding for a Saturday night, shocking Sophie's parents and rousing a laugh from Jamie.

Jack had always been shy when it came to intimacy. He didn't have any urges for a few years after becoming moral. But it did rear itself eventually. Sophie was patient. When they were ready, they tried for a baby.

It took a few tries, but thirteen months after the marriage, they had their first child. A daughter. They called her Jill, after Jack's little sister. The name, Sophie actually suggested. She was the most beautiful thing Jack had ever seen. She was born in the start of winter. And, for the first time in a long time, Jack actually enjoyed winter.

Less than a year later, Jill was joined by Tegan. The girls meant so much to Jack. As they grew up, he would tell them stories about the Guardians, sans himself. He found it hard to talk about. He tried, he did. But those stories were left to Sophie. One night, he heard her telling the girls a bed time story. Only, instead of "Jack Frost" it was "your father." And at the end, she made a point to say, "And every single word of this is true."

Jill lost her first tooth at seven. She was so excited. "The Tooth Fairy is coming tonight!" she cried with excitement. "Toothiana is gonna come get my tooth, right, Daddy?!"

Jack smiled widely at her. "I dunno, Jill. Even if it's not Toothiana herself, you might see one of her Baby Teeth."

"Are you gonna stay up with us to see the Tooth Fairy, Daddy?" Jill asked. "I'm sure she misses you."

Jack felt his heart clench. He gave her a gentle smile and tried to hide the pain in his eyes. "She'll only come if you're sleeping, sweetie."

That night, despite what he had told Jill, he sat outside of their bedroom door and listened for any sound. A squeak, a flutter of wings, anything.

Then, he heard it. A soft whisper, full of excitement. Jack scrambled to his feet. Could she really…?

He quietly opened the door and peered inside. There she was, the Tooth Fairy. Just as he remembered her. "Tooth?"

The woman froze and turned to him. He stepped in with the widest smile. "I made sure she flossed every night." he whispered.

Before Jack could say another word, he was tackled into the wall. Jack hugged the woman tightly. He missed her. He missed her excited twittering. Out of all of the Guardians, he felt like he connected with her the most.

A small bird-like fairy flew up to him. She circled his head and nuzzled his cheek. Jack stroked her head. "Baby Tooth, I missed you, too."

Toothiana looked upon him sadly. "Jack… it hasn't been as fun without you." she forced a smile. "I wish you at least said good bye."

Jack felt his heart wrench. "I know, Tooth. But… it would have been too painful. I would have changed my mind."

Toothiana looked from Jack's daughters and back to him and said in the quietest voice possible. "Do you ever regret it?"

Jack glanced to his sleeping daughter and beamed at Toothiana. He shook his head. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Toothiana sighed with the brightest smile. "That's all I needed to hear."

Jack knew Toothiana had to get back to work. He wished he could catch up with her, but a sliver of his former life helped spark something within him. He invited her to join him for dinner any time and said that the girls would love to meet her. Amazingly, she actually promised she would join him sometime.

She kept her promise and the girls were simply over the moon! Jack was so happy to see their excitement, even Sophie was giddy with joy. But she wasn't alone. She managed to get the other Guardians together, much to Jack's shock.

He almost cried at the sight of them. And it seemed everyone knew it except his children. North pulled him into a tight bear hug, Sandman pat his head endearingly and Bunnymund pulled him into a noogie, telling him how he was spotting grey hairs on Jack's head.

Sophie always had a taking to Bunnymund. Even if she couldn't remember the night in the Warren when she was three, it still stuck with her, even to this day. Easter was her favorite holiday. So, when Jack still had power, he would take Sophie and Jamie to the Warren to paint eggs. Sophie was so happy to see him again, and he, her.

Jill had attached herself to North. He was a huge teddy bear to her. Tegan actually translated Sandman's speech fairly well and had been deemed his translator for the night. As a reward, she got to play with his dream sand.

They all told stories well into the night to the young girls. Jack was happy to hear about the new adventures the Guardians had. When the girls went to bed, they listen to Jack. They didn't ask for his reason for leaving, for which he was grateful. He told them of the joys and frustrations of being human. The ups and downs. But he assured them this was everything he wanted. That he wouldn't trade it for the world. He decided to keep out his seasonal depression. He was sure they would understand, but he didn't want to sound pathetic. Jack apologized for leaving without saying anything. That was the only thing he ever regret.

It was getting late. The Guardians needed to return. But they decided it was best to keep in touch.

And they did.

The girls got older. They, like their mother and uncle before them, they never stopped believing. One day, they confronted him. They sat down as he was drawing up a game plan for the tykes at the day care and surprised him.

"Jack Frost. The winter spirit that used to bring fun and snow days." Jill said firmly. Tegan sat next to her, fidgeting. Jack sat up straight and looked them each in the eye. Jill was sixteen now, Tegan fifteen. "Why did you give that up?"

Jack snorted and smirked a bit. "I wonder how long you've been begging to ask me."

"Since Mom told us. She wouldn't say anything." Jill replied.

Jack sighed, his eyes downturned. "Because… I couldn't live without the ones I love." he started. "Because… I wasn't cut out for a Guardian. I couldn't protect anyone. I only made a mess wherever I went."

"So… Pitch did get to you." Tegan said softly. Jack looked up to her and frowned.

"So, your mother told you everything."

"Yep."

Jack ran his hand through his hair. "I was losing believers. Because I messed up. I was just… I was just a passing fad. Like those ugly shoes those girls wear, they'll be gone in the next five years. Girls, I was a pair of shoes."

"But, you could have had people believing in you again! Just like the first time! Just because people were losing faith—" Tegan started, but Jack must have been showing how much pain he felt and she quieted.

"Jamie was the start of it all. The start of everything. I had the whole east coast believing in me. But it started to fade after a few years. Pitch only quickened the pace." Jack explained. "When I gave it up, I could count on my hands how many believers I had. And it wasn't growing."

"You miss it, though." Jill pointed out. "That's why you get sad during the winter."

"You noticed that, too, huh?" Jack sighed. "Of course I miss it." With a heavy sigh, Jack told the girls to follow him. He took them to his and Sophie's room where he dug in the closet and pulled out a box. In the box, he opened it and laid out his frost-stained sweatshirt and torn pants. He propped his staff right next to them. The staff, they had seen. He sat with them and told them everything. The feeling of flying around the world, creating blizzards (especially the one of '68), how amazing all it was. Except for the unbearable loneliness that came with it.

Three hundred years of it, he wasn't going to go back to it. And he certainly couldn't leave Jamie and Sophie. He didn't think he could live without them.

"In the end, I'll never regret my decision." Jack said, clutching into the staff. The familiar grooves were a comfort as he told his tale.

Both of his daughters lunged forward and hugged him. Caught off guard, her looked down at them, then embraced them tightly. "I could never go back to it, either. Not now, not ever. I have so much to live for in this life."


	4. Revert: Let Me Play Among the Stars

**Title**: Let Me Play Among the Stars  
**Synopsis**: Jack Frost is still becoming accustomed to his human life. Sophie and Jamie understands this. But lately, he's been acting strange. This worries Sophie. On the night of the year's first snowfall, he doesn't return home. Where did he go?  
**Notes**: This is actually like a sort of excerpt of the previous one shot _Revert._ It explains why Jack gave up his Guardianship and his life of being a human. I wanted to write about the seasonal depression he gets every winter and the first time he experiences it. This is from Sophie's point of view. You don't really HAVE to read it, but it explains some missing details.

* * *

Sophie gotten home from her part time job and dropped her bag on the sofa. She had gone from class to work and had to change there. She hated her job. She didn't like being a waitress, but it paid the bills. At least she wasn't alone; her brother had a part time job working at a grocery store he couldn't stand either.

"Hello?" she called into the three room apartment. It seemed no one was home from their jobs yet. They had let Sophie go home early since it was slow. She wasn't surprised.

Sophie and her brother Jamie shared a flat with their best friend. The boy didn't attend school like they did and he had a job he greatly enjoyed. She was envious, but she knew how hard he tried to get it. Two years ago, he had no records of himself, no social security, no birth certificate, nothing. It was as if he just appeared out of thin air. The day care the boy worked at was wary of him, clearly, but when they saw how he was with the kids, they decided to give him a chance.

The boy may not have appeared out of thin air, but he was made real over night. If you have heard tales of a man who brings winter and thought he was just a story, you'd be wrong. Jack Frost did in fact exist. He has for over three hundred years. But the boy had given up his Immortality in favor of a human life.

Looking at the clock, she realized the boys would be home soon. Sophie figured she should start dinner. The boys were expected to be home soon. Even though she wasn't fantastic at cooking, Jamie could pick up the slack.

As she set the water to a boil, she leaned against the tiny window in the kitchen and looked down at the street lamps. Sophie smiled as she watched the snow falling gently, building up on the ground. Tonight, it would be nice, peaceful, and pretty. By tomorrow, the snow on the roads would most likely melt and have become gray from gas emissions. The weatherman said it wasn't supposed to snow much tonight, but this weekend was expecting a blizzard.

Sophie loved the snow. It always reminded her of Jack, even if he couldn't create it any longer. The snow falls hadn't felt the same since he gave up his Guardianship, but Sophie never once complained. She couldn't put her finger on it. It must have been because she knew Jack Frost wasn't the one making it anymore.

Jamie walked in. She could hear him shaking out his coat and tapping his shoes on the mat. He met her in the kitchen, rubbing his cold hands together. "What's for dinner?" Jamie asked, looking over the pot.

"Pasta." Sophie answered. She realized the water was boiling and poured the dry pasta into the pot.

"Jack isn't home yet?"

"No. Probably is waiting on a late parent." This was usually the case when the guy was late coming home. They didn't worry, since he could handle himself. Though, he was hard to remind him to keep his cell phone on him. He couldn't get used to the idea of a telephone. He never needed to use one and now asking him to was difficult.

"Hey, after dinner, we should grab Jack and go into the courtyard. Maybe have ourselves a little fun." Jamie suggested. "I mean, first snowfall of the season, we gotta celebrate."

"Sounds good to me!" Sophie grinned, bouncing. "Jack was disappointed when spring came last year. I'm sure he's outside playing in it now."

Jamie snorted as he stirred the sauce. "I wouldn't be surprised. That's probably the reason he's late."

The siblings finished dinner together and Jack still did not show up. After twenty minutes, they decided to eat without him. Jamie had some homework he needed to work on and Sophie had a project to finish. Jamie worked in the living room with the TV on. They didn't have cable—it was an unneeded expense. But Jamie hooked up his game station and played playlist he put together on Netflix. It was just background noise as they worked.

Sophie made a place for herself in the spare room they had that opened to the living room. Nobody knew what to do with it and Sophie tried working in her small room. There simply wasn't enough space, so the three of them agreed she could use it as a studio. Sophie was concentrating on the canvas in front of her. She had to get this done for a gallery opening that weekend.

Sophie had become completely immersed in her work. She had not realized the hours that had passed until Jamie spoke up. "Jack's still not home, is he?"

Sophie looked at the clock. When had it become that late? It was nearly midnight. There still was no sign or utterance of Jack Frost. Sophie frowned at her brother who pulled out his cell phone to call Jack's. Sophie walked over to Jack's room and opened the door. Neither of the siblings were surprised to hear "Fly Me to the Moon" coming from a vibrating device on his side table. Of course Jack forgot his phone.

Sophie picked up his cell and looked to Jamie. "Should we call Ellen?" Ellen was Jack's boss. She was always the last to go home. Jamie nodded and took the phone from Sophie, knowing her anxiety about talking to people. Being a waitress made things difficult for her, but the speech was scripted so it made it easier. When the customers got testy with her, she would nearly break down.

Jamie took the phone and looked through Jack's contacts. He pressed call and held the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Ellen. This is Jamie. Jack's roommate." Jamie started, crossing his arms and frowning. "I'm sorry for calling so late, but Jack never came home. Do you know where he could have gone? … No? … Okay, thank you. I'm sorry for waking you. Good night, Ellen. … Yes, I'll let you know if we find him. … Thank you. Bye, bye."

Sophie twisted her fingers together. "Let's go look."

"Yeah." Jamie agreed and the two of them put on boots, gloves, scarves, and heavy coats to look for their missing friend. Everything was in walking distance save for Jamie and Sophie's schools. Their jobs were mere blocks from their apartments. The siblings walked to the daycare, peering into alley ways and behind buildings. At the daycare, they looked into the windows, seeing nothing but darkness. They checked the playground. Not even a hint of the boy. They called for Jack.

As they started walking towards Sophie's work, where Jack would sometimes stop and say hello or pick her up from, they fell silent with worry.

"Did you… did you notice he's been acting strange lately?" Sophie questioned.

"Since it started getting cold…" Jamie bit his lip.

Jack Frost was usually a happy person. He was excited about his relatively new-found humanity. He had a new perspective on how things worked and how the world looked. He was always searching for a new way to have fun. Sometimes, when he would talk about his Immortal life, he'd fall quiet and get this look on his face. It was this sort of longing and a hint of pain. Of course this was expected. That was the only life he knew. He was expected to miss it and the friends he made and the amazing gift he was given.

But, lately, that look when Jack was speaking of his Immortal life became his only look. When he wasn't at work with the kids or when he wasn't doing something with Jamie or Sophie, his default expression of confidence and strength fell.

He would sit in his room with the window open and the heat off, sitting in the window pane with his eyes closed, just feeling the cold. Jamie had to pull him in and remind him he wasn't as nimble and light on his feet as he used to be. That one wrong shift in his weight, and Jack would fall out of the third story window.

When Sophie would be expecting Jack to walk her home, lately she needed to bring an extra pair of shoes for the boy. He often discarded his usual flip flops somewhere along his way of picking her up. She was used to him not wanting to wear shoes, but tossing them aside and disregarding them completely? He had never done that. He'd usually carry them at least. They would have to retrieve them wherever he threw them or buy a new pair at the dollar store.

"I asked him if he was alright the other day." Jamie sighed. "He said he was fine and wondered if I was seeing things."

Sophie peered into an alley. There was nothing there but a pair of half buried flip flops. Sophie picked them up and turned to Jamie. Jamie took a deep breath and bellowed for Jack. No answer.

"I hope he's okay," Sophie was becoming giddy with panic. She was twisting her fingers and biting her lip. Her heart was racing. Where was he?

"Wait." Jamie looked down into the snow. "There's footprints. They aren't fresh. They're kind of faint. But these are the prints of someone without shoes."

Sophie crouched and looked into the snow. Through the few prints that were visible, there was indeed some of a pair of bare feet. Jamie carefully tread beside them. They walked halfway to the restaurant Sophie worked at and they turned. Jack must have changed his mind about something. They followed the prints back to the apartment.

"But… he's…" Sophie looked up. Over the edge of the roof, she could see a set of legs, swinging back and forth. "Jack." She breathed before running up the stairs. They landed on the top floor and swung to the utility staircase, both of them running to the roof. They had all been caught watching dream sand up there and had been threatened with eviction if they went back up there. Jack was most adamant about not returning. He blamed himself for getting them in trouble since he had broke them in in the first place.

So, of course, this was the last place they expected to find him.

A boy with a green hoodie laid on the ledge, clutching a large branch with a hooked end. He had his jeans rolled up his calves, one leg propped up and the other over the edge, swinging. He had spiked brown hair and wide brown eyes that were fixated on the glowing orb in the sky.

"Jack?" Jamie and Sophie walked up to him. He turned to them. He was pale. Really pale. His lips were tinted blue, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his cheeks flushed. He looked sick.

"Jack, come on, let's go inside." Jamie crouched to his level.

"I'll be in in a minute," Jack said. "I'm talking to the moon. I used to do that all the time, you know. When I was lonely. Even though I was mad and he never spoke back, I'd still talk to him. Just hoping he might actually be listening." Jack smiled a bit and snorted. "He was listening the entire time."

Sophie looked from Jamie to Jack and rushed back into the apartment complex. She ran to their room and pulled the quilt off of her bed, bundling it into her arms and running back to the roof. There, she stood in the doorway, panting. Jamie looked frustrated, rubbing his face with one hand and another on his hip.

"Jack. Come in. Now."

"Just a little longer. Go in, I'll be fine." he waved his friend off.

"You're going to get sick."

"I feel fine."

Sophie walked up to Jack and threw the quilt over him. Jamie made a sound of indignation and Sophie pulled Jack off the ledge, wrapping the quilt all around him. She rubbed his arms and pulled his soaking hood up.

"Sophie, don't encourage him."

"I'm not, I'm trying to get him warm."

"Thanks, Sophie." She felt Jack shivering under the quilt. She pulled him into an embrace, hoping her body heat would help.

Jack was _freezing_. He was wet and icy and shaking. "You're so cold."

"Yeah, it's a bit nippy."

"Let's go inside and have some tea, okay?" Sophie suggested.

Jack was silent for a while. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, Soph."

Sophie helped him to his feet. The boy swayed for a moment and collapsed under his own weight. Sophie and Jamie quickly caught him and Jamie lifted Jack over his shoulder. Sophie held the doors open for Jamie as he carried their friend to their apartment as quietly as they could. They didn't want to disturb their neighbors. Once in their apartment, Sophie ran to the bathroom and ran the tub with luke warm water.

Jamie locked the door and pulled off the comforter, setting Jack on the toilet.

"Jack… what were you doing out there?" Jamie asked.

"I…" he clutched the staff he had refused to release. "I wanted to be in the snow for a while."

"Yeah, but… dressed like this?"

"I did for three hundred years."

"Jack!" Jamie grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "You aren't Jack Frost the Guardian of Childhood anymore. You're not a winter spirit. You're human. Humans get sick. Humans die in the cold."

"I know." Jack adjusted his grip on the staff and held it close. "I just miss it."

Jamie and Sophie watched Jack who kept his head down. The bathroom was heavy with their silence. Only the sound of rushing water was heard. Jack pressed his forehead against his staff. Sophie put her hands on his head and bent to his level to try and meet his eyes. He averted her gaze.

"It's not that I regret this. I don't. I just miss being Jack Frost."

"I know that, Jack." Sophie said quietly and kissed the top of his head. "No, let's get you warmed up, okay?"

Jack gave a tiny nod and Jamie lifted him and dropped him into the tub, clothes and all. Jack yelped and released the staff to hold himself at the shock of the warmth. Sophie made sure it wasn't too hot to prevent this, but he was so cold.

His teeth chattered and, though he was clinging to it so tightly, did not protest,

"You can have this back when you are warm and dry." Jamie leaned the staff against the wall and sat on the toilet. "And you're in big trouble, mister. Do you know what time it is? Mommy and Daddy were worried."

"I'm sorry. I thought I was considered an adult and could handle myself." Jack was referring to the previous day when Jamie told him he should make his own breakfast. Pouring a bowl of cereal was quite an easy feat, even for one such as Jack. The suggestion that Jamie should make Jack breakfast had them playing around. Jack often asked Jamie to do stupid stuff, mostly as jokes that would take them back to the time Jack couldn't do anything for himself.

He was joking, but there's wasn't even a hint of a smile or interest. It was so unlike Jack.

"Obviously, being three hundred thirty nine years old doesn't make you an adult. Mommy and Daddy need to make sure you wear a warm enough coat and they need to pour your cereal and they need to tie your shoe laces." Jamie said, trying to rouse something from him. "No more going out after dark, little Jacky."

Jack leaned back in the tub, nodding. Sophie leaned forward and touched his face to see if he was warming up any. The girl frowned. "Still cold…"

Jack quirked an eyebrow. He was still very pale and shivering in the warm water. Sophie stood up and searched the mirror cabinet before pulling out a thermometer.

"Open." Jack obeyed, opening his mouth to let Sophie put the thermometer under his tongue. He closed his mouth and moved it. This was the first time he had ever used one.

"I thought this was if I had a fever." Jack mumbled.

"I'm checking for hypothermia."

"Pfft. Hypothermia? I'm Jack Frost, remember?" The boy sunk further into the water, the shivers finally slowing down. Sophie watched the numbers on the digital thermometer go up and down, as if it couldn't decide how hot he was. The number lingered on 88.9 for a beat before stopping on 90.7. Sophie took it and looked to Jamie.

"He'll be okay. I'll make some tea." Jamie left. The two were quiet. Sophie watched Jack close his eyes and the shivers die.

"Jack… You really scared us." Sophie said quietly. "We didn't know what happened to you. Maybe you were jumped or hurt or in the hospital or…" She took a deep breath, trying to keep the worry and fear out of her voice. "We were terrified, Jack. I was so scared."

Jack looked up at her and sank chin-deep into the tub. "I'm sorry, Sophie."

"If we didn't find you when we did… you could have died, Jack."

"I know."

Sophie had half a mind to remind him of his mortality. Ask him if he forgot. Ask him if he even cared. The Moon granted his wish for mortality, was he going to squander it? Was he going to test just how mortal he really was? Instead, she leaned her forehead against the tub and rubbed her wet eyes.

"Don't cry, Soph."

"'M not."

"Okay, Soph." Sophie heard the splashing of water and cold, wet arms wrapped around her head and shoulders. She pulled herself up and nestled into his shoulder.

"Bring your phone with you. Every day. Stop leaving it behind, okay?" She ordered.

"I'll do my best."

"Text Ellen and tell her you're alive, too. She's worried."

"You called my boss?"

"Well, she would have been the last to see you, right?

"Man, what a pain." Jack sighed, slumping. "She's going to be asking me so many questions. She thinks I'm sketchy as it is."

"Hey, I thought she liked you," Sophie pointed out. "She invited us for dinner and everything."

"She does. But that doesn't mean she doesn't think I'm sketchy. She tells me every day."

"Well, if you would stop eluding to the fact that you're Jack Frost…."

"Yeah, you have a point."

Sophie smiled. He was sounding more like himself already. "Come on, let's get you into some dry clothes." The girl grabbed a towel and helped him out of the tub. Jack used her as a support, now able to walk on his own, to his room. He dropped to his knees in front of his dresser and started digging through his clothes. He didn't have many. Jamie and Sophie found him quite particular. Especially when he wants to be comfortable in them. Jack liked to wear clothes much like the ones he wore for three hundred years. But it was pretty hard to find brown pants like the ones from colonial America.

Jack pulled out a familiar blue hoodie. Sophie shifted her weight between her feet, biting her lip as she saw him considering it. He put it away, much to her relief, and took out a tee shirt and a pair of flannel pants. Sophie said she was going to get more blankets and left him alone to change. She gathered every blanket in the house and knocked on Jack's door. He let her know it was okay to come in.

"Is that necessary?" Jack asked, rubbing his arms and sitting against a wall. He was still very pale.

"Yes." Jamie said as he walked in after Sophie with a carry out cup of tea. He handed it to his friend and sat on Jack's bed. "And I think you should make a nest of some sort by the heater."

"What? I'm okay now." Jack insisted, sipping the hot tea.

"You look like hell. You're staying home tomorrow." Jamie stated. There was an authority in his voice that even Jack wouldn't argue with. In this little family they had, Jamie was in charge. He would make the decisions, he would call the shots, he would make the rules. He was the most responsible. He had the most sense. And neither Sophie nor Jack had any qualms. Sophie was never a leader and Jack was still unsure how the human world worked.

"Fine."

Sophie kicked aside books and clothes Jack had piled near the heater. She realized it wasn't even on and frowned as she settled the blankets down and started to make a sort of bed. She might pull off the mattress from Jack's futon to make it more comfortable. The girl turned the heater on to a comfortable temperature.

"Jack, how long were you out there?" Jamie asked. Sophie stopped what she was doing and looked up.

Jack ran his hands around the cup, chewing his words thoughtfully before answering. "I left the daycare around eight… there was a late parent an none of the other kids left. So, I wanted her to have fun while she waited and played with her. Ellen and I left last. I wanted to pick Sophie up from work since she was supposed to get off around eight-thirty. But… it was snowing and I… I saw the moon was full and just… I wanted to be alone with the moon for a bit. So, I went back to the apartment. You guys were busy, I guess. Didn't hear me over the TV. I grabbed my staff and went to the roof."

"And we found you around… twelve-forty-five. So, almost four hours." Jamie concluded.

"Yeah, I guess…" Jack closed his eyes and sipped his tea. "I didn't realize how late it was."

"You're not doing it again, are you, Jack?" Jamie crossed his arms. Jack chewed his lip, keeping his eyes down. "Jack?"

"I'll dress warmer next time."

Jamie rubbed his temples and stood up. "Sophie, talk some sense into him. I'm going to bed."

Jamie left Jack and Sophie. Jack gave Sophie a look, as if begging for her not to continue Jamie's scolding. She didn't have the heart to. She pulled off Jack mattress and made a good bed for a cold boy. She ordered him to turn off the lights and beckoned him over. He obliged, using the wall to push him up to the light switch and then crawling over to his nest. Sophie took off her own coat, sweater, and shoes. She was still covered in dried paint but she brought him closer to her and tucked the multitude of blankets around them. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm gonna warm you up." she smiled, cuddling up with him. Of course, this wasn't the first time they had fallen asleep together. Even when he was Immortal, she had fallen asleep more often than she could count while she was in his arms. His cold limbs that snakes around her reminded her strongly of that time.

The two of them made themselves comfortable. Sophie looked up at him, studying him in the light that shone from the street lamps outside. He was familiarly cold. It was almost exactly like this. Though, his core was much colder at the time. She reached up and touched his cold face with her fingertips. His deep brown eyes met her bright green ones. She could see a hint of a snowflake pattern in his irises. It was much more prominent when they were blue.

Frozen stiff fingers tilted her head up and her breath caught. Cold lips captured her own and she closed her eyes. Jack's kisses never failed to set her body on fire. Heat rose to her cheeks and her heart pounded a million beats a second. Even though they were chaste and gentle, she would always get caught up in him.

When they broke, her eyes opened and she was almost surprised to not see a puff of cold air as Jack exhaled. The blue cheeks were replaced with bright red. He was half lidded as his eyes met hers. A tiny smirk. "Just like old times, eh, Soph?"

She reached up and ran her hand through his brown hair. "Only, this time, I'm actually worried about the lack of warmth."

The smirk fell and Jack wrapped his arms tighter around the girl. "Sophie, I can't promise I won't do it again." He rested his chin on her shoulder, making it impossible to read his expression. "I just… I don't know… I've had this urge for a while just to sit out and talk with the moon. The snow just…"

"It's okay, Jack." Sophie assured him. "I'll meet you up there with a blanket and hot cocoa. We can talk to the moon together."

Jack began shaking and she felt something wet her hair. She put a hand on his head and shushed him gently. "_Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars_," Sophie began to sing softly. "_Let me see what what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars. In other words hold my hand. In other words darling kiss me_ …"

It was Jack's favorite song. Sophie wasn't much of a singer, but she hoped it would be enough to make him smile. She moved enough to look at his face. There was a grateful smile playing on his lips. He finished with her.

"_In other words, please be true. In other words I love you_."


	5. IF: Reunion

**Title**: Reunion  
**Synopsis**: Jack was never really able to get over Jamie and Sophie's deaths. Especially Sophie's. After one hundred years of searching, Jamie had finally found him. Jack Frost. And there's someone else who was chosen as an Immortal, too.  
**Notes**: This is basically a continuation of the ending of Imaginary Friends. I'm pretty sure it's okay to read this if you haven't read Imaginary Friends. If there's any confusion, let me know. I'll fix it. And OH GOD! I'm reading the screenplay of this movie. SOPHIE'S TWO! EVERY FANFIC I'VE WRITTEN WITH HER IN IT IS INACCURATE! MY LIFE IS GOING DOWN A SPIRALING HOLE AND I CAN'T EVEN! I THOUGHT SHE WAS THREE! NOT TWOOOOOOOOOO AAAAAAAAAH! I was right about Jamie's age (eight) but Sophie's supposed to be two and I just jfkhsaakljh! Okay, sorry, meltdown complete.

* * *

"There's someone waiting for you."

Jack Frost could only stare at Jamie Bennett. Or rather, the humanoid-bird creature that had once been Jamie Bennett. The Moon had smiled upon him after his death and created a phoenix. An Immortal representation of Faith. It had been one hundred years since he had seen him. He thought Jamie Bennett had died for good in his old age. Not that Jamie didn't hope and search, but the search proved fruitless. Instead, Jamie had found him.

Jack could not describe the happiness he held in this moment. His best friend was back. When he died an old man so long ago, Jack was sure that was the end. He was left heartbroken, but he was expecting it. It hurt much less that way. And it was alright, because Jack knew he lived a full and happy life. The hurt from Jamie's death was a speedy recovery, lasting no more than a few years. Of course he never forgot the man, but the pain healed.

Unlike Jamie's sister, Sophie. The girl had suffered a young and unexpected death. A car crash. This one left Jack with more then heartbreak. There was a permanent wound left with her death that Jack had never been able to recover from. She was only eighteen. And he didn't have enough time with her. No, not nearly enough time. Then again, he didn't think he ever could have had enough. She was special. It was difficult to be without her. His longing brought a terrible pain to his chest. Jack Frost missed her more than anything.

And when Jamie found him and told him someone was waiting for him, Jack could not help but think of Sophie. He did his best not to get his hopes up. He had trained himself well in that. When anything came to Sophie, he couldn't hope. It would only end in more hurt.

Jamie didn't wait for Jack's response. He picked up Jack's staff, putting it in his hand and grabbed Jack by the elbow, lifting him into the air. The flight was more than thrilling. They flew at impossible speeds, fire de-pressurizing the wind speed in front of them. To someone watching, they would have looked like a comet. The happiness of having his best friend back and the excitement of Jamie's way of travel was amazing. He whooped and laughed.

The two of them landed in front of a performing arts school. Jack was laughing and leaned against Jamie. "We gotta do that again."

"I thought you might like that." Jamie smirked. "Now, wait here. Let me get her." Jamie held up his hands to stop Jack from following him and darted towards the school.

Jack furrowed his brow, confused, and watched him go. Jack was waiting for several minutes, in which he spent toeing the cracks in the path to the school, making ice spread between them.

Then, something happened. A flash of colors sprouted from the ground, images of dancers, animals, technology, and more flitted in the light and spouted out. Two figured emerged. Jamie and a smaller figure Jack had not had time to examine. He was suddenly tackled to the ground, arms wrapped tightly around him, a familiar voice calling his name.

Jack went numb and looked up at Jamie. Jamie wore the brightest expression Jack had seen him in since they reunited. "Jack Frost, this is Muse."

Jack looked down, hardly able to breathe. A mess of blonde hair had beads and feathers woven into the pixie cut. The girl wore a shimmering shirt that had shifting watercolors moving throughout. She wore a pair of tight shorts that came to just above the knee. She didn't wear shoes, but instead had a woven anklet on her left ankle.

The girl finally pulled back and he got a look at her face. She had small rounded features and big green eyes that were shining. She wore a watery smile and touched his face. "It's really you, Jack."

"S-Sophie?" His voice was caught in his throat. He felt himself choking. It was her. She was here. He could have had all this time with her but they had missed each other. He had looked and looked for years and here she was. She had been chosen by the moon. He gave her another chance.

"I missed you." she said softly and wiped the tear that traveled down her face. "I was looking for you for so long…"

"Sophie, it's you." He hesitantly reached up to take her face in his hands. "It's really you." His voice broke. He was so happy. It was impossible to contain it. Suddenly, all of his grief and longing was gone. "You're here."

He pulled her into his arms again, holding her tightly. "Please, don't let this be a dream." Jack whispered. He had experienced dreams like this when Sandman had found him in his worst states. Sometimes, Jack would just break down. Sandman took pity on him and fed him sweet dreams, but sometimes, they weren't what Jack needed. It wasn't Sandman's fault. It was Jack's. What he considered a good dream was having his friends back.

But this was too perfect. Jack would never have imagined this. Never would have dreamed something this perfect. The Jamie and Sophie in his dreams were just as he remembered them. Both varying in age; Sophie from two to eighteen and Jamie eight to eighty. He could never imagine them as Immortals.

"It's not." Jamie assured him, crouching next to them. Jack's eyes blurred and he held the girl in his arms tighter. She returned the pressure and he buried his face into her hair. She smelled just as he remembered she did. A hint of peppermint and a strong scent of acrylic.

"We're not going anywhere, Jack." Sophie promised. "Now that we've found you… We aren't going to let you get away so easy."

"Damn right we aren't." Jamie said and wrapped his arms and folded his wings around the both of them. Jack gripped Jamie's arm with one hand and held Sophie tight with the other.

"I'm not letting you go." Jack sniffed. "Never again. Neither of you. I can't do this without you." It began to gently snow, Jack's overwhelming happiness unable to contain itself.

"Well, we all do have jobs to do." Sophie giggled a bit, her voice thick with emotion.

"Not right now." Jack kissed the top of her head. "I just want to stay like this."

"Okay, then, let's go home." Sophie suggested. Jack was about to make a comment about how he wasn't going to move and they couldn't make him when a warm light engulfed them. They were surrounded with colors and dancing shapes and the three of them were transported to a very familiar setting. Jack's pond. Jack couldn't bring himself back to Burgess after Jamie's death. He hadn't been here in one hundred years. Sure, he would fly over to make sure the kids got snow and some fun, but he would never stay long.

Jack released his friends and looked from one to the other. "How had we missed each other all of these years?"

"I'd say it's 'cause we're all very elusive." Jamie decided, nodding. "The world is a lot bigger than we thought. We were needed in several places at once. You needed to bring snow and fun, I needed to bring faith and belief, and Sophie was doing her thing."

"Hey! You act like what I do isn't important! I made your career, jerk!" Sophie said indignantly, punching his arm.

Jack wiped his face, looking at the girl that sat up and away from him. "Sophie, what exactly is it that you do?" he asked.

She turned to him with the brightest smile. "I'm Muse. I bring forth creativity and help people find their inspiration. It could be anything! Music, objects, television shows, movies, people. I inspire them to create."

"Like like an art teacher, huh?" She looked so happy with her chosen role. Jack would not have wanted it any other way for her. He remembered how she wanted to be an elementary school art teacher and this, well, it wasn't far from her dream career. She wanted children to create and this is what she did.

"Even better!" She clasped her hands together. "Because I inspire everyone! Not just children. I helped Jamie find his inspiration when he was writing. Of course, you guys were his first inspiration. The Guardians. But when he needed a little push during a writers block—"

"Not another word, Sophie!" Jamie exclaimed, pulled her to him and clamping a hand over her mouth. She struggled against him. They were both laughing and Jack couldn't help but smile with them. Sophie pulled Jamie's hand away and pointed to herself.

"Me!" she pipped out.

"You?" Jack looked upon the siblings fondly. "So you were there the whole time?"

"Well, not the whole time…" Sophie admitted, holding on to Jamie's arm. "I couldn't be. Once I figured out what I could do, I wanted to spread it. Yeah, there were times I sat with Jamie and waited for you, Jack. But I guess we missed each other."

"The universe didn't want us to find each other for a while, huh?" Jamie rolled his eyes. "Took me thirty years to find Sophie."

"And you were so cute! You were this tiny little boy and so adorable!" Sophie squealed. "Didn't look more than five."

"What?" Jack made a face, very confused.

Jamie rubbed his temple. "I age." he explained. "Very slowly, but I do."

"Wait, but then—" Jack was afraid once more. He'd lose Jamie again?

"But I'm a phoenix. When I die, I'll burst into flame and be reborn again." Jamie finished quickly, noticing the alarm on Jack's face.

Jack took a deep breath and looked between the siblings. They smiled at him, so bright and full of light. He felt lost. Now that they had found each other, what were they going to do? His brain had seemed to lose all function.

Sophie's smile fell a little. "Jack… You've never let go of us, have you?"

"I love you guys. How could I?" He met Sophie's eyes. They were just as vivid as he remembered. Springtime green. Her eyes had become his favorite color. She crawled towards him and touched his face, wiping away tear residue. She hushed him and held his head to her collar. He closed his eyes and gripped her shirt. "I missed you. So much."

"It's okay, Jack. We're here now. We have forever together."


	6. Time Inflicts All Wounds

He's wracking with sobs because he realized he did it again. He made a huge mistake he swore he'd never make again. It's always some kid, somewhere that catches his interest and he grows attached. He may not even speak their language, know their culture, understand their family life... but he falls in love with them the way a brother would fall in love with his newborn sibling the day they come home from the hospital.

He would watch them and take care of them, even if they couldn't see them. He would promise safety. Their guardian angel. And while this does make them believe someone is there for them, they will never see him. He watches over them throughout their life and eventually, they die.

It happened again, in his own home. The place he first fell in love with a mortal child (it was only later that he realized there was a reason for it-_she was his sister!_). Burgess. It wasn't just one child, it was two this time. Siblings. Jamie and Sophie Bennett. Already, ten years passed and Jamie Bennett was eighteen, his sister, twelve. To him, he hadn't even realized it.

This time was different. They could see him. They believed in him. Even Jamie, the adult that should no longer believe in childhood fantasies. This made it so much worse than he imagined. Because, before, when he forced himself to leave the child he loved, they would never notice he was gone. They grew no attachments. This time, they would see. They would see if he left, they would mourn the loss of their friend. They would hurt.

But he didn't know if he could watch them die. Not now that he had grown more attached to them than any child but the first one.

The first one was a mistake. He sincerely did not understand that humans grew and faded. He was confused by her change. He was lost when she died. He hurt for years until he realized that all humans went through that. Admittedly, he still wasn't over it. He never would get over the death of his little sister.

It was Sophie that found him, curled in his usual branch, wracking with sobs. She was twelve and awkward, but the sweetest child. He hadn't realized she was there, until her soft voice jolted him from his own misery.

"Jack?" He looks down at her, suddenly embarrassed because he never cried. He was the Guardian of Fun. He was supposed to bring smiles and laughter. What should he be doing, crying?

He contemplates flying away from her without a word when he realizes the poor girl is shivering and sniffling. There's a blizzard shrouding all visuals, but he could always see it just fine. What was she doing out here?

He quickly dries his eyes and leads her to shelter from the storm he created. A small nook in a tree. He's find, standing outside. But she should have some cover until he calms down enough for her to go back home safely. He would offer to fly her back to her room, but he knew better. She was terrified of heights. The winds were too strong for her to trust. He dropped her in a storm once when she was seven, he would not drop her again.

"What's up with the storm?" she asks through chattering teeth. He knows she really meant to ask why he was crying. She was trying to spare him, and he would be forever grateful to her.

"Time... just always escapes me." he frowned, crouching onto a root to try and block the winds from reaching her hollow.

She frowns and pulls off her glove. She habitually twists her ring before pulling it off and giving it to him. Somehow, a girl that wasn't a child but wasn't a teenager, understood. She offers a sad smile, pulling the ring into his cool palm. When his fingers curl around it, he can hear the frost crackling as it coats the metal.

He closes his eyes tightly, trying not to cry. It breaks when a sob tears through him. He's clutching this ring tightly and the wood of his staff when she pulls him awkwardly into the hollow to embrace him. The contact only hurts more, because he knows one day, it won't be there anymore.


	7. Citrine

He's not sure when she started wearing a ring. He just came back one winter and there it was, shining silver decorating her left-hand middle finger. There's an orange citrine stone in the middle to signify her birth month (November). It's weird, because orange is not a color he identifies her with.

Greens, pinks, and blues. All bright, pastel, and vibrant. She was Spring. Which he never would have guessed she was born during Fall, the complete opposite season she correlates with. She honestly doesn't even have to try. She just _is._ Which always throws him off when it comes time for her birthday, because he always assumes it's in April. Because April is bright, pastel, and vibrant. It's not November, which is dark, crisp, and warm.

Regardless, Sophie is _warm_. He agrees that is one thing, but it's a different warm than the colors of Fall. It's warm like a Spring afternoon, when all the flowers are blooming. She's thirteen and she's young, but she knows just how to make the Winter spirit feel warm and fuzzy.

The ring was something she never took off. Not to bathe or swim. Not to draw or paint. Not to wash her hands or when she goes to sleep. He remembers the one time she lost it. She went into a tizzy looking for it, tearing apart her dresser ("I set it right there!") and pulling clothes out of drawers. It took an hour of the blonde going insane looking for it until she pulled a drawer right out of the dresser. It fell to the floor with a clatter, slipped under her bed. When she dove under to retrieve it, she resurfaced covered in dust, sneezing, and twisting the ring back on her finger. She said she felt naked without it.

She had the ring since she was nine. It still fit, though, if she were to take it off, he would see an indent where it once was. The knuckle on that finger was thinner than the others. She seemed to have grown around it. Once, her hand swelled a little and she had trouble getting it off (it was restricting the finger, making it harder to bend). Jack had to cup his hands around her knuckles until the swelling went down enough to twist the ring off.

If there was one thing Jack knew she loved, it was that ring. He never really thought about where she got it or who gave it to her. She never really brought it up, so he never thought it was important.

He only realizes it's importance when she gives it to him. Now, he wears it on black string around his neck. He has to be careful to keep it outside of his sweatshirt. He's scared the metal would freeze solid and break it if kept against his skin, so he accepts the strange questions he begins to receive when children notice the ring. He only tells them someone special gave it to him.

Sophie is special, just like her brother, Jamie. They are Jack's kids. They are his little brother and sister (although Jamie is now a year older than Jack appears to be). The Bennetts have been special to him since before they could even see him (though he had never told them that and wonders if he will ever make a point to before they're gone forever). The other Guardians have warned him about it. Keeping close to mortals. It never ends happily and Jack knows this, better than anyone.

But this ring that is now kept on a string around Jack's neck. He'll look at it from time to time, idly admiring it. It reminds him of Sophie because of how un-Sophie-like it is. It blows his mind this girl wore something so opposite of her. He learned from Jamie it was a gift from their father. It was a gift to be given to her when she got older.

Their father had passed when Sophie was just six months old.

Before his death, he went out and bought gifts for his children that would be given to them for each birthday until they turned eighteen. Not one of them was a toy. It was always an object of worth. Something carefully chosen without any knowledge of what they might be interested in.

Jack wonders if he should give it back to her. It was from her father. Yes, a man she hadn't really met, but someone that cared enough for her to bestow this beautiful gift. A reminder she even had a father.

After some thinking, he fidgets and flies to the Bennett home. Inside, Sophie is reading a book on her bed, her room a mess as always. She doesn't notice him at first. He knocks.

She is never surprised anymore. His frequent and random visits have become part of the norm, even when winter is over or has yet to begin. He is there. Because these children are his, and he doesn't want to let them go.

When she opens window to let him in, she is surprised when he takes off the makeshift necklace and holds it out to her. She looks at him with such big eyes. She looks… she looks hurt. His heart wrenches at the site.

"I know… I know it's from your Dad so… I can't take it from you." he explains. Her eyes now show understanding. She shuffles her feet, frowning. She still doesn't want it back.

"It was from my Dad… and now it's from me." she says, almost mumbling. "I'll apologize to him in about eighty years. I think he'll understand."

Jack knows this girl can be silly and Jack made sure it was hard for her to take anything seriously (because what is the fun in life otherwise?) but right now, she is showing wisdom beyond her years, much like she did back in that tree hollow when she gave him the ring. It still hurts and he still wants her to have it.

"I'll… I'll be okay, Soph." he promises her uncertainly.

Her green eyes meet his blue ones as she pushes his hand gently away from her. It's times like this that make him think of Fall. "No you won't."

* * *

A/N: Nicki K asked for an elaboration on the ring, so I made one~ This goes out to you!


	8. Ghost

He honestly doesn't know what it is about Sophie that draws him to her as she gets older. She's long past the age of belief, along with her older brother Jamie, but Jack still comes to visit them and play with them, even if he is invisible. First, Jack just stuck around Jamie. Jamie was the first one to believe in him and he was the last of his friends to hang on to that belief until he turned fourteen. After failed attempts at getting Jamie to believe again (he was beginning to use Adult Logic to explain all the strange happenings), he stuck to Sophie.

Eventually she, too, lost her belief.

He couldn't pull himself away from them. He still followed them, spoke to them, had whole conversations with them that were completely one sided. It was something he was used to, either way. Three centuries of invisibility gave him enough practice. It was so easy, too. With the Bennett siblings, he found it so easy to talk to them. Easier than the Guardians, even.

Sophie was easier than Jamie. She spent a lot of time alone by choice. Jack didn't have to worry about like he did with her popular older brother. She wouldn't talk over him as he spoke to her. She wouldn't be distracted by the people around her because there weren't any. She would just seclude herself with a book, a comic, or her computer. She was content with solitude.

So, Jack sits with her. He reads over her shoulder and sometimes talks about the movies she watches on her laptop. He suggests movies she might like and of course, she never watches them because she can't hear him. But he's okay with that. He's okay with talking to her or just sitting in silence with her because she's comfortable to be around.

Soon, she becomes even more comfortable to be around than Jamie. She feels natural and even if she doesn't see him, he feels like she knows something is there. He hopes what he feels when he's with her is something akin to care. She'll smile for no reason while he's talking at her and he _knows_ she can sense something—anything. There are even times he wonders if she can see him (or just hear him). He wonders if she feels this aura of fun.

And now he's attached. It hurts to be away from this girl for too long and Jack begins to long for her to be able to see him. To touch him. He wants to hug her when she's crying and he wants to watch movies and laugh with her. He wants to cuddle and he can't until she's asleep. But he doesn't.

When one is asleep, they can believe anything. This is why Jack can brush hair out of her face and adjust the blankets around her while she is sleeping. She shivers at his touch, but smiles contently as the dream sand above her head take the shape of a snowflake. Jack sometimes wonders if his presence brings childhood memories to her dreams.

He wonders if she remembers him and his hopes fill his heart with warmth and fear all at once. He wants her to remember him. He wants to listen to her complain and tell him stories and get excited over silly things like she used to. He wants to hear her voice speak _to_ him.

It's only too late does he realize something has stirred within him. He had never felt this way about anyone before. It was this simple, plain girl that caught his full attention. It hurts in ways he never imagined. His heart and eyes hurt when he thinks of her because she will never know that she exists.

She's seventeen and sleeping peacefully. Jack sits on the floor by her bed, his staff propped by her window. It's only recently become a habit of his to visit her as she dreams. Snowflakes play around his hand, frost ghosts dance around the room as he passes the time. She sighs with contentment. He watches the dream sand form beautiful shapes.

"Sophie…" he says, catching a fairy in his hands. It's not like Tooth's mini selves, so he can't bring himself to call it beautiful. Jack was never much of an artist. "I don't know what this is." he mutters, looking to the mess of blonde just above a pile of blankets. "Is this…" he uncertainly turns back to the fair. "Is this what's called love?"

He doesn't know love and he doesn't know what it feels like. It's foreign to him, but when he thinks of the word "love" all of this just feels like that's what it is. His eyes burn because he knows she'll never feel anything for him in return.

"I think I love you, Sophie." his voice doesn't sound like his own. "I think… I think I'm in love with you and you'll never know who I am."

He's startled when she sits up suddenly. The fairy in his hand explodes into snow as the girl takes a moment to slip out of the bed and shuffle out of the room. When she returns, there's a glass of water in her hand and it's almost empty, but she sets it on the nightstand anyway.

As she settles back into the bed, she seems oblivious to the frost ghosts dancing around her room. Jack sits there, stiff, waiting for her to respond. It takes exactly forty-two seconds for her to notice the strange magic floating around her room.

She sat up, looking at a rabbit that bound past her. She screams a little, pulling the blankets closer to her body. She is terrified, but it only brings a smile to Jack's face. She watches the shapes, slowly relaxing, her bright green eyes wide. He realizes she remembers these games. Frost on the window, a shape drawn, and a new playmate is created. It used to take all of Jack's energy, but now he can create several so easily.

He stands up to make a new ghost. The Sandman floats around her, waving sleepily before making his way to an airplane. She is in awe. It doesn't stop her from reaching out for the ghost of the moon, only to have it burst into snowflakes at her touch. She retreats, Jack chuckles. He is ready to take his leave and let her have her fun when he feels eyes on him. He's imagining it. He knows he is. She wouldn't look at him. She never does. He checks to make sure she's distracted enough for him to take flight, but he freezes.

She's looking right at him, mouth agape. "Jack Frost." she breathes in disbelief.

She sees him. She sees him and she's moving towards where he stiffly stands, shocked. Teenagers don't see him, especially not the Bennetts. He's tried. He tried so hard to get both of them to see him and there was never any fruit to his efforts. But here she is, touching his face, proof of his existence.

She can touch him. Her fingers set his skin aflame, his cheeks turn so pink and he has to restrain himself from pulling up his hood. She sees him and she can touch him and now she's hesitant as she backs up. She questions why he's there. He shrugs and says he wants to play.

Just like that, it's like old times. Tracing shapes in frost for Jack to bring to life, running around the room, chasing each other. It snows in her room, but the flakes melt just before reaching the floor. And right now, he has her. She is his and he can't help but hope for tomorrow. He doesn't expect her to love him in return. He would he content with just being able to talk _with_ her and not at her. He wants to hug her and play with her hair and hold her hand and bring her close. He loves her warmth because it sends electricity down his spine and blood courses through him faster than it does when he's free-falling.

Tomorrow promises more time. Tomorrow promises catching up. When the sun begins to rise, she is settling into her bed, leaning onto Jack. She is tired and winter spirits do not sleep. As her eyes flutter to a close, Jack tucks her in. He's hesitant when he presses his lips to her scalp. She doesn't response except to breathe deeply. He beams into her hair, whispering words of affection before he leaves to shepherd in snow somewhere in the north.

When he returns around sunset, she's in her room on her computer. When he taps on the window, she frowns, looking right through him. Her gaze pierces him like a daggar and he realizes last night was too good to be true. Adult Logic always wins and belief in ghosts is only temporary, once you realize that's all they are.

So Jack tells himself that one night was fine. He had one night with her and he was content, because he felt her warmth and savored it. Her embrace was perfect and it was enough for him. He tells himself it was enough.

(It wasn't.)


	9. Mint Chocolate-Chip

Mint Chocolate-Chip

She liked ice cream. She specifically liked chocolate-chip mint ice cream. The chocolate-chip mint ice cream that looked like vanilla with chocolate-chips in it. Yes, it was an oddly specific kind. White ice cream that tasted like mint with square chocolate chips in it. Honestly, she wasn't picky. That just happened to be her favorite and she knew not many stores carried chocolate-chip mint like that one. There was actually a specific brand that carried it.

It wasn't her favorite because of the flavor, though it was a good flavor. It was her favorite because it tricked a certain person every time he caught her eating it. And he _hated_ mint.

Her brother's best friend was a boy named Jackson Overland. He was three years older than her and three years younger than her brother. Jamie and Jack had been best friends since he moved in next door when Jamie was eight. It began when Jack played a prank on Jamie. It was quite elaborate for a five year old, but it brought them both close to tears from their laughter and they had been attached at the hip ever since.

Jack's favorite ice cream flavor was chocolate-chip. He didn't like the mint. Which she always thought was weird, since he liked a lot of cold things. He liked winter, ice, ice cream, italian ice, polish water ice, snow cones, iced coffee, iced hot chocolate, just… anything cold in general. But he didn't like mint, which was something that felt naturally cold. Spearmint and wintermint gums were always spit out in favor of fruit-flavored (or root beer float flavored) gum. Toothpaste was tolerated. Mouthwash was purple.

He hated mint.

It was summer. Jamie and Jack were home from college. Jack had followed Jamie to college, even if they would only spend a year together. They were roommates and she only heard good stories about it. She was actually tempted to follow Jack to the same college so she could start with someone who was familiar with the campus and someone she knew and trusted. Her first year could be a lot of fun, even if it was Jack's last year. Also, she'd get a discount because her brother went there.

"Sophie, come on!" her brother's best friend urged as he linked arms with her, dragging her towards the door. "We're going swimming!"

"The sun burns!" She hissed, pulling against him. She really didn't mind swimming. It was just the going outside bit she wasn't fond of. She preferred to stay inside and draw or derp around on the internet.

"Well, if you went outside every so often, it wouldn't burn so much." Jack laughed. He, himself, had a nice, healthy color tinting his skin that grew almost deathly pale during the winter. Jack spent most of his time outside. His way of entertaining himself was going to the park and playing with the children there.

After some arguing and threatening to carry her outside himself, she reluctantly agreed. She got dressed as slowly as possible. Pretended she had trouble finding her other flip-flop. Searched for a clean towel. Tried to prolong it as long as possible before Jamie rolled his eyes and pushed her outside.

They didn't have to go far. The three of them liked to swim in the pond across the street. They've been told several times it was gross with pond scum and god knows what else, but they really didn't care. It didn't make them sick, so none of them worried.

Sophie slathered herself in sunblock. Her skin was fair and she had zero color because she had been outside all of twice this summer. And that was because Jamie and Jack dragged her out. Though, she would be lying if she said she didn't have fun.

Jack always knew how to have fun. He would always make Jamie and Sophie smile without even trying. He had games and stories and knew how to play. He was nineteen years old, but he still had a sense of child-like wonder. There was always something to explore or climb or learn about.

The three of them spent the afternoon at the pond. Nostalgia was brought up from time to time, like the time little Sophie got lost in the park forest. When they got older, the forest didn't seem to big. They understood how Jamie and Sophie's mother was able to find the girl so quickly when Jamie and Jack searched for so long.

Sophie always wondered why Jack wanted to include her. After all, he was Jamie's friend. Yes, after so many years of being friend, you'd expect to know the guy and be sort-of friends with him as well. But he always wanted to be Sophie's friend, too. Not just Jamie's. Even when girls had cooties, Sophie was an exception because she was Jamie's sister. But Sophie was younger than the boys. Then again, Jack was just as much younger to Jamie as Sophie was to Jack. And Jamie was okay with including her sometimes. More often when they got older. Sophie liked to think it was because of Jack that Jamie and her were as close as they were.

Several hours later, the three of them trudged back to the Bennett house. They had dried off almost completely about an hour prior. The sun hung low in the sky. Sophie was burned, even when she applied sunscreen three times. She sat at the table, poking the red on her shoulder, wrapped in a towel with a pout. Stupid boys. Dragging her out when she didn't want to be out.

As an apology, Jack was building them all sundaes. He worked at the local ice cream parlor for about three years before going to college and made the best sundaes ever. He still worked there during summer and winter breaks. Jack set a generous bowl in front of her with three cherries. That made her smile.

Jamie and Jack ate double chocolate-chip. Sophie had her favorite, which Jack had yet to grow wise to. She heard him debating whether to have chocolate-chip or double chocolate-chip and she did not correct him. Jerk. She wished he would have picked "chocolate-chip."

As they ate, a mind-numbing movie was playing as background noise on the kitchen television. Sophie watched the images contently until Jamie was called by their mother for assistance, leaving just her and Jack.

"Have you seen this movie?" Jack asked, following her gaze.

"I think a few times." she shrugged. "I don't think I've actually paid attention to it."

There was some comfortable silence between them until Jack asked about the latest doodle she posted on her blog. He complimented her, telling her the style was cute and reminded him of a show he and Jamie used to watch as kids. She smiled, offering to show him more works like it later.

"Yeah! I want to see them—oh!" Jack reached towards her unexpectedly. "You've got ice cream on your face." His palm cupped her chin as his thumb brushed over her lips, catching her by surprise. His thumb traced half of her upper lip, pressing down a little more to wipe the mess on the corner of her lips. As he pulled his hand away, his fingers smoothed over, catching anything left.

His hand was cool to the touch, probably from working with the ice cream. His fingers were calloused, but not too rough. His caress was gentle. He made her stiffen. She didn't feel uncomfortable. But the touch left behind something… different. Her cheeks began to pool heat and it was hard to swallow.

Oh god, what was that?

He brought his hand to his mouth to lick the ice cream and chocolate sauce from his skin when Sophie reached out to stop him. Too late. His pink tongue darted out to taste it mindlessly.

"… It's mint." Jack stated bluntly.

"Yeah."

Jack's golden-brown gaze met her own. His pink-tinged cheeks became even pinker as his eyes quickly shot back to his hand. He chewed his lip thoughtfully. Then… carefully, he tasted the mess on his hand again.

"… Guess mint isn't _too_ bad."

* * *

The prompt was "ice cream" provided by teensophiebelieves on tumblr.

If you have a theme or a prompt for a one-shot or drabble, please leave a review or send me a PM. : )


	10. Winter and Nightmares

Winter and Nightmares

She had been moving south for a while now. She followed the compass tied to her coat, hoping she and her furry companion would make it somewhere warmer. She had traveled from Burgess, Pennsylvania all the way to Savannah, Georgia. She would borrow vehicles and break into stores for food and some semblance warmth. So far, south wasn't much warmer than north. Actually, she was convinced it was getting colder.

She sighed, beckoning the dog to follow her. She took one last glance at the Jeep that had run out of gas before trudging through the snow towards a residential neighborhood. She hoped she could find someone—anyone. Maybe with news on the rest of the world. Or electricity of some sort. That would be awesome. She could charge her phone and check reports online. Maybe there might be some reprieve from this apocalyptic winter. Maybe there might be some news on survivors close by.

She was tired of being alone.

The eighteen year old girl wandered through the streets, looking for a home with lights on. She wasn't surprised she didn't find any, though she was a little disappointed. She found herself twisting a door knob and throwing her whole weight onto a front door before long. The powerful winds and the cold were starting to hurt. Her face was chapped, her fingers and toes numb. It was time to set up to sleep for the night.

A bag hitched on her shoulder as she let her dog in. He bound inside, glad to get away from the icy winds. Even when the floors and furniture were coated in a thick layer of frost, it still made a good place to stay. There was a fireplace in the living room. Out of habit, she called with a hoarse voice into the home.

"Hello?" she yelled as loud as she could. "Is anyone home?!"

As always, there was no answer. She knew better than to venture upstairs. So, she made her way into the kitchen to find something to start a fire. Her flashlight shook with her hand. It was so cold. Good! Matches! She was running low. Some magazines. A newspaper. … Children's books.

She grabbed the magazines and newspaper and carried them into the living room, dragging a frozen kitchen chair behind her. She threw the papers and a starter log near the fireplace into the grate along with three lit matches. As she started getting a fire going, her dog began to bark.

Sophie looked towards the doorway where Hercules was barking. He was growling, as if an intruder stood in the doorway. She couldn't count how many times he would do this. He would bark at absolutely nothing. Sophie assumed it was something that was a problem with him before she found him.

"Hercules," she called, holding up frozen meat. "Hercules, calm down!"

The dog did not let down. He instead seemed to be following the path of an invisible strangers. Sometimes, it would scare her. It was just her and Hercules after all. But maybe there was some unseen force that Hercules could sense. And that terrified her.

Sophie rubbed her arms before setting up the fire to cook/defrost food, drink, and essentials. Hercules kept barking, Sophie kept working. She guessed it was a good break in the eternal winter silence. The car radios were all white noise or emergency sounds. Hercules' barking was actually quite welcome from time to time.

After their meal, Hercules had stopped the barking, but continued to watch the invisible person that seemed to be circling them. Sophie uneasily stroked the dog's head, glad he was so furry. They cuddled on their mat and shared warmth under her blankets. Hercules snapped very close to Sophie's ear. The first time he had done that, she wanted to let him go and fend for himself.

Her brother stopped her.

She curled up against Hercules, whimpering. "I miss Jamie, Hercules…"

Three months ago was when it started. The Winter. November started like normal. Crisp, some frost here and there, leaves still falling from the trees. Then, one night, Sophie woke up from a horrific nightmare with frost covering _everything_. Outside, there was little snow. Just ice and fierce winds. Jamie had come into her room to make sure she was okay. He was just as shaken up, still recovering from a nightmare of his own.

They stayed up to wait for their mother who never came home from a long shift at work. They called her, to no avail. The siblings sat in the living room, anxious. The power had gone out. They prayed their mother was safe. Only when they dared venture outside when the sun was shining did they see, to their horror and grief, a woman curled up under the frost on the walkway to the porch.

She wasn't the only one. Several bodies were frozen solid where they stood, said, or laid. Animals fell from trees and shattered. Trees creaked and groaned, distant breaking was heard in the silent streets.

It took the siblings only a few hours to realize help was not coming. No one answered when they called 911. There wasn't an emergency vehicle in sight. Within days, they decided to take their own rescue into their own hands. They had to saddle the grief of their lost mother and neighbors, and see who was still alive. During those days, they hadn't seen a soul. The two put on their warmest clothes to brave the frost and knock on ice-coated doors. Breaking in terrified them. Inside, they discovered the whole inside of the home was coated with the same frost as the outside. They searched for the residents, and what they found still gave Sophie nightmares (every night brought nightmares anymore). The master bedroom had a man and a woman who appeared to be sleeping. They were frozen, along with the rest of the house. By far the worst was when they came upon another bedroom with twin beds that were still occupied. Children, no older than five and ten.

People and pets were frozen inside of their own homes.

Like the one she was in at the moment. She made a point to not venture upstairs. Most homes she found frozen like this one had the inhabitants just as icy. Sophie and Jamie had come across some survivors, but it didn't take long for them to fall.

Now it was just Sophie and Hercules. In this big house that probably had people upstairs, she was just too scared to check. In the morning, they would loot the place and move on. Find another car to hot wire. But, for now, she would fall into nightmares, just like every night since the first one.

That night, she dreamed of her brother.

Jamie and Sophie were taking a break beside a lake. They watched Hercules running around atop the frozen water, knowing he would be safe. They had crossed rivers that had frozen solid, riding in a large vehicle. If the entire lake wasn't completely made of ice, they knew it was pretty thick.

Sophie wanted to wake up right now.

But she didn't.

Jamie idly rolled a water bottle between his hands. He had that look he got whenever he contemplated their position. They had been on the move for a while and it was exhausting. They almost lost track of how long it had been.

"Did you ever think… maybe there isn't a scientific reason for it?" Jamie asked without looking at her. The two of them had this conversation before. More times than she could count. They would toss theories back and forth about what was going on and how far this cold actually reached. It was a terrifying notion to think the whole world could be like this.

"So… what?" Sophie frowned. "Magic?"

Jamie sighed, looking towards the sky. Hercules stopped where he was, ears perked. Maybe he was going into one of his fits again. "I dunno…" the twenty-four year old bit his lip. "Just… I keep thinking back to when we were kids. And… there was this boy… who would tell us stories and play games with us. He was a teenager…."

Sophie struggled to match her memory with his at the time, but before her, out on the landscape, the vision changed. Twelve year old Jamie and six year old Sophie were chasing a boy with white hair and a blue sweatshirt. His face was fuzzy, since she struggled to recall it. But she always remembered the white hair and the blue hoodie. He carried a wooden staff and always wore a smile.

"He would come around during the winter to play with us… And… then I stopped seeing him. But you didn't. You'd still come home and say you were playing with him." Jamie scratched his chin uncertainly. "I can't remember his name…"

"I don't…" Sophie at the time had no idea what he was talking about. But the scene played out with ten year old Sophie building a snow fort with the boy. The boy asked about Jamie often. Why Jamie didn't believe in him anymore. But Sophie never understood what he meant by that.

"Do you remember those games we used to play? With Santa and the Tooth Fairy and stuff?" Jamie asked. Sophie nodded, not sure where the conversation was headed. "And how the Boogeyman was always the bad guy?" Sophie nodded again. "It's weird, right? How we've been getting nightmares and with all of this snow… You'd think… You'd think the Boogeyman and Jack Frost were collaborating." Jamie laughed.

Sophie frowned, though. "But… Jack Frost was supposed to be the good guy." Sophie said, rubbing her arm. "Besides, none of that is real…."

The scene on the lake broke. Hercules began barking and snarling as he bound towards Jamie and Sophie. He sat beside Jamie protectively, snapping at something invisible. Jamie scratched Hercules behind the ear, hushing him. He sat in thoughtful silence for a moment until his brows furrowed and he began muttering. "Jack Frost… was he…? Couldn't be…" He followed Hercules' gaze.

His eyes widened. His body stiffened. The man quickly stood up, pulling Sophie along behind him. She didn't understand. What was going on?! Why was her brother suddenly acting so weird? He turned to her, fear shining in his eyes.

"Sophie," his voice was demanding. "Take Hercules and _run_."

But Sophie could not. She was scared. Ice began to crackle as it covered his body. He didn't scream. He only begged for Sophie to get to safety. Within seconds, his body had become an ice sculpture.

She moved to hug him, but awoke with a start. Something stuck to the skin on her cheek as she moved and it burned with the cold. In the light of the crackling embers, she could see Hercules.

He was frozen solid in her arms.

Sophie screamed, scrambling back. Her dog! Her companion! Her only friend in this world! No! NO! She lost her mother, her friends, her _brother,_ she couldn't take losing her dog, too!

She would have broken down completely had she not heard soft chuckling from the doorway. As tears streaked down her cheeks, she turned to face a boy that leaned against the frame. White hair streaked with blacks and blues, a blue sweatshirt with frost accents and something that looked like black sand, sharp blue eyes, pale as death.

He didn't look dressed for a winter apocalypse.

His eyebrows shot into his hair as his laughing abruptly stopped. Sophie crawled back, eliciting a tiny scream that got caught in her throat. Who was he? Why was he here? Why was he laughing at her agony?! _What was he?!_

"W-Who are you?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"You can see me." the boy grinned from ear-to-ear in what seemed to be… _relief_. "You can see me!"

"_Who are you?!_" she screamed. She reached for the iron poker by the fireplace, ready to attack, but a cold hand stopped her. The boy was at her side in an instant, silent, as if he flew. She struggled against him as he lifted her easily to her feet, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Sophie." She froze. Oh, god, how did he know her name? "Sophie, you know who I am. If you can see me, you know." He stroked her hair gently, carefully. "Just remember. I know Jamie did."

"J-Jack Frost?" she stuttered with the cold and terror. No, it couldn't be… A voice in the back of her mind told her it was true.

"That's right!" He held her out to look at her face. "Sophie, I've been watching over you for so long. Even after you stopped believing in me. You and Jamie were my kids. My favorites. I couldn't just leave you, you know. My God, Sophie…" he pushed hair out of her face and cupped her chin. His hand felt like ice. It bit at her skin, causing her to wince at his touch. "You've grown up so beautifully…."

She continued crying. Now, she was scared. Terrified. What was he going to do to her? Was he going to kill her? She didn't want to die. Tears that streaked down her face turned to ice in his proximity.

"What happened to you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level. She felt a sob breaking and tried to cough it down.

"Pitch helped me," Jack said evenly, brushing away the frozen tears. "The thing about being a Guardian is… you need believers to have power. Before I was a Guardian, I had so much power. Just as much power as the Guardians. You remember the Guardians, right?" Sophie nodded. Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and Jack Frost were protectors of the children across the globe. "But as soon as I became one of them, I lost it all. Only the children of Burgess really believed in me. It made me weak. So, when Pitch found me in a state like I was, he offered help. I couldn't refuse that, right? Now, I'm more powerful than ever."

"I looked up to you, Jack," Sophie whimpered, recalling how much the boy that visited during winter made such an impact on her life.

"I know," Jack smiled fondly. "You and Jamie were my favorites. Still are. Especially you." He leaned forward brushing his nose against hers playfully. "You grew up to be so gorgeous. And creative. And loving. You care so much. You're just a very good person, Sophie. I wish more people were like you." His blue eyes met her green ones. Her heart raced. She had never received compliments like that. Normally, she would be flattered. But the fact that he was watching her was simply terrifying. "I love you, Sophie."

No. No, no, no. This was a dream, right? This wasn't real. But the kiss felt so real. It hurt. As he pushed his lips against hers, she felt the moisture in them solidify. It was like pressing her lips against a frozen pole. As he pulled away, she felt skin tear and tasted copper. He came in for another kiss. Once. Twice. Three times. Her blood stained his lips, but he just did not seem to care. He licked his lips, but it did very little to clear them.

He was deranged. He was crazy, insane, and corrupted. This was not the boy she played with as a child.

"Sophie, please… please say you'll be my princess." He pulled her face into his chest. "Please. I love you. You could live with me eternally. Pitch promised he could make it happen. The Man in the Moon would never let that happen. But he will. Please, just say yes."

"You killed them," she croaked. "You killed my mother. You killed my dog. You killed all those people… Jack, you killed my brother!" She found the strength to push away from him. "_No!_"

Jack blinked, as if confused and hurt. "Sophie… they aren't dead." he said soundly. Like it was obvious. "They're eternal. Like me. Like Pitch." he grinned. "Now everyone will be as eternal as us. They'll know what it's like to live forever."

"Jack, no…" Sophie stepped back. "That's not living. They're frozen. They're… they're gone."

"You don't want to be my princess?" Jack advanced towards her.

She shook her head, knowing these were now her final moments. She was resigned. If those were her choices… living eternally with this boy and Pitch or becoming an ice statue, she'd rather die. Might as well take some dignity with it. She straightened herself and dried her eyes. "No, Jack Frost. I will not be your princess."

His eyes showed so much pain. He stood up with her. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she closed her eyes. The last thing she felt was lips against her forehead and a warmth spreading from there. She saw her mother, Jamie, and Hercules. They were excited to see her, beckoning for her to join them.

With that last human, the world ended. There was nothing but darkness and winter. No more nightmares. No more cold. Just a frozen wasteland, uninhabitable to any creature except for Jack Frost and Pitch Black.

They were all that was left.

* * *

A/N: This was a prompt given to me by my friend, Jeremy. Corrosion. This is for you, bro.


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